Pondus Omnium: The Weight of All Things
by NoSignalBlueScreen
Summary: An evil only Clockwork could anticipate is coming. A huntress becomes an ally, a family is made whole, an imperfection is made perfect, a class takes a field trip, a city is enlightened, a man is redeemed, a monster is saved, and a kingdom is forged. No PP/Phantom Planet. Post D-Stabilized. Reveal Story. DxS TxV & others. Editing/rewriting chapters also publishing new chapters.
1. Eternal Flames

**Edited: 6/30/16: ****Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.**

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**An important AN:**

**Welcome ladies and gentlemen. This is my first ever Danny Phantom Fanfiction and I certainly hope you'll enjoy it! I used to watch Danny Phantom for a long time and I had enjoyed stories on here before. Now, years later, I'm actually a member on the site and am somewhat confident of my skill as a writer and storyteller and I finally get to do this thing!**

**My idea of where Amity Park is in the United States:**

**I've seen various different views about where Amity Park is. The most common is Illinois, but I've also seen Oregon, Texas, and Minnesota. After looking at the wiki and considering all the details, I've decided to go with Indiana. Illinois and Indiana both make the most sense given the information provided, but I decided Indiana. Indiana is a bit closer to Lake Erie and in Phantom Planet, it appears to zoom out of Indiana when it's zooming out of Amity Park. This is just how it will be for this story, so use any others in your stories if you feel the need. That's the magic about not knowing where Amity Park definitively is. :)**

**My idea of a timeline in the Danny Phantom world:**

**Here's how things will be in THIS story.**

**Note: I am aware of the various issues that arise with this timeline. This is simply how it has to be for the purposes of this story. (One extra note is that the episodes in canon aren't the only ghost attacks that happened; they are just the attacks that we were shown in episodes. This partially accounts for periods with barely any episodes and periods that have a bunch close together. The show was only showing noteworthy moments.)**

**1\. Danny was fourteen when he had his accident, like the intro song always states. Which for my purposes occurred in the month of September of Danny's Freshman Year.**

**2\. Sam's birthday will be October and Tucker's December**

**3\. Danny turned fifteen the January after (Added note: birthdays aren't canon. I decided them)**

**4\. Prisoner's of Love happens in May**

**5\. Episodes after Prisoner's of Love and before Fright Knight happen in June and early the next school year. No episodes show their freshmen summer (summer before sophomore year).**

**6\. Fright Knight is Halloween**

**7\. Danny turns Sixteen sometime after a Fright Before Christmas (Added note: yes all those episodes happened between October and December, I couldn't find a way around it. Lucky in Love shows a water park that is somehow heated or they had strangely warm weather, it's another issue that's hard to rationalize)**

**8\. Reality Trip happens their sophomore summer (the summer before they go into junior year)**

**9\. I place Torrent of Terror in November of that year, during the beginning of their Junior year**

**10\. Danny is seventeen by March which is when I place Urban Jungle**

**11\. Claw of the Wild is then in August of their Senior year followed by D-Stablized in September (Which is where WE are now in this story).**

***If this is too confusing and you would like a highly simplified version: The first two thirds of season one - freshmen year, the last bit of season one to the end of season two - sophomore year, third season to Claw of the Wild - junior year, Claw of the Wild marks the beginning of senior year. D-Stablized in September, which is where WE are now in this story (Using this method you can imagine some of the episodes in these stretches being reordered slightly. i.e. Lucky in Love, if you like).**

**Sorry if this is confusing. I believe only the most basic understanding of either of these timeline choices will be needed to enjoy the story.**

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**This story takes place right after D-Stabilized, like literarily a day or two after. This is MY idea of how the series could have ended. I think Phantom Planet was… okay. I kinda understand that they had to rush to give the show a conclusion before it was cancelled, but there were many things that weren't given the attention they needed. Too many lose ends in my book! So here we are, a different ending that would've most likely spanned several episodes in the show. All the lose ends will be tied. Revelations the right way (not just cameos clapping in the background- I'm looking at you Valerie) with reactions from everyone, Vlad's true fate, Dani's, and even… _his_. Though some of it might surprise you. An evil is coming… that no one but Clockwork could see coming.**

**Let's begin… Oh and Sorry for the Long AN, shouldn't have to happen again :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own or claim Danny Phantom or any other franchises that may be mentioned in this story!**

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zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts, past speech, or distant speaking unless indicated otherwise_

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_"They say the subconscious can be more aware than our conscious. It can tell us truths that we don't notice or ones we know somewhere deep down but refuse to admit to ourselves out of fear." __~Paraphrased from an Unknown Source._

_"A hero is someone who doesn't ask for change. A hero makes change. A hero doesn't broadcast by choice. A hero is a hidden hand. A hero doesn't die. A hero, once born, lives on forever in the hearts of men. A hero doesn't judge. A hero forgives. A hero doesn't choose who to save. He saves anyone, even those that can't or don't think to ask for help." __~ NoSignal_

_"We can't control the actions of others. We can only control our own actions." __~Paraphrased from an Unknown Source_

_"Caelum videre iussit, et erectos ad sidera toilere vultus." ("He bid them look to the sky and lift their faces to the stars.") ~Ovid_

zzz

The wind blew softly and the stars shined above as they always did. It was fairly warm out and by all outwards appearances it was a peaceful night.

Valerie Grey was tossing and turning in her sleep. Her brows were furrowed in concentration and her fists were clenched. She had stayed up late into the night, reflecting on the events of the last few days.

The human-ghost Dani Phantom. She couldn't fully grasp what that title truly meant or it's implications. She knew Vlad appeared to be some type of hybrid as well, seeing as Phantom had told her that Danielle was a ghost that was human too and both she and Vlad had used similar looking rings to change between forms. If it was true that Vlad was a hybrid of some sort, then all this time he'd been evil. He'd been using her to do his own dirty work and she was beyond angry that she'd played right into his hand for so long. Vlad seemed to be so different from Danielle and it was this difference that made her re-evaluate something the Ghost Boy and said during one of their many bouts.

_"Ghosts are just like humans. Some are good and some aren't so good. They're all just as different and unique."_

She had tried to systematically apply it to ghosts and half-ghosts she'd seen. The half-ghosts in particular seemed to provide a good example of what Danny Phantom had told her. Some where good, Dani, and some were bad, Vlad. It made sense and it started her down the road of wondering if Danny Phantom was truly the good guy… uh ghost… he'd been saying he was from the get go. Ultimately she had concluded that she was at a dead end with her deducing, because another thing in common between humans and ghosts is that, they could lie. How could she ever know for certain if a ghost could tell the truth without something in it for them?

She thought back on Phantom's record and remembered some things he had done that seemingly went against what people considered good, starting with how he'd ruined her life and ending with seemingly more terrible acts of violence like theft and assaulting the old mayor. It made her wonder what was really the truth and a whole other round of circular reasoning would be formed. She had eventually surrendered to sleep, but her thoughts had followed her even into unconsciousness.

ooo

She was moving swiftly after him on her board, her thrusters whirring in her ears. It was dark out so not many people were on the streets of Amity or maybe that was just part of the convenience of being in a dream. She fired several crackling laser shots at Phantom, making him dip and dive to avoid them. He seemed to stand out like a target, his white glowing sections of his suit and figure in contrast with the dark pavement, buildings, and sky. He was shouting something at her in fear and worry, but she couldn't make out any words. His face was somewhat frantic and he flinched at each movement she made. She wasn't concerned with his false fear though; after all, this was the ghost that had ruined her life. Many people are decidedly one-sided in dreams. A tiny thought echoed in her head as though there was something she had forgotten, but it was easily smothered.

_What does it mean if something can feel pain? Does pain make them sentient? Animals can't speak for themselves. What was the difference? Where is the line drawn?_

Something seemed to grab Phantom's attention from her for only a moment and that's all it took. Her shot whizzed through the air, small shockwaves of energy echoing from it, and struck him in the back; ripping and burning through his hazmat suit then his ectoplasmic body, it caused some shimmering green ectoplasm to bubble and drip through the wound now there. He yelled out in muted pain and fell to the hard pavement. He silently cried out with no voice of his own and convulsed on the ground as he was electrocuted by the aftershocks of her special lasers.

She jerked a bit when he finally went limp and his eyes slid closed in unconsciousness. Dirt and pieces of pavement clung to his body and swam in the ectoplasm that was pouring from the wound on his back. Her eyes widened slightly in fear and confusion when a blinding white flash obscured her vision. When she reopened her eyes and faced her prey after the light was gone, her scream tore through the dreamscape.

ooo

Valerie had never been one to wake from nightmares violently; she simply didn't scare easy. Today was an exception though. She jerked so hard when she woke that she almost ended up out of her bed and on the floor. She pulled back to prevent her body from continuing to roll off the edge of the mattress. Then she hurriedly got up, still in a panic, and made her way to the bathroom. After splashing her face a few times with cold water, she stared at herself in the mirror. She couldn't get rid of the terror though, nor the picture still fresh on the back of her eyelids. For when that flash in her dream had disappeared, the one she had gunned down hadn't been Danny Phantom… It had been Danny Fenton.

zzz

The warning bell rang in the hallway as Danny finished his third attempt to open his locker.

Tucker, Danny's best friend, was blabbing to Sam about something excitedly. He was wearing his traditional cargo pants, yellow long sleeve shirt, hiking boots, beret, and a nice looking watch on his left wrist. Just yesterday he'd gotten his contacts in so his glasses were absent from his face for today, though he still wore them sometimes because he liked them. He'd kept his hair buzzed too.

"I mean eight different kinds, Sam! I know you don't like meat, but still you have to be a tiny bit impressed," Tucker spoke and gave a semi-triumphant smirk.

Sam, Danny's other best friend, gave Tucker an unamused glare. She was wearing a purple undershirt that stopped above her navel, a plain black shirt that was over her undershirt and hung off one shoulder, a black and green skirt, purple fish-net leggings and combat boots, which sported purple laces. She had her hair in it's normal fashion except she'd lowered her ponytail a bit and placed it near the back of her head rather than on the side. Tucker's smirk started to disappear as she replied to him.

"I just find it gross. Can't you see you're slowly killing yourself by eating that garbage? Not the meat, I understand some people like it even if humans don't need it, but with all that grease!? And that kind of excess?!" Sam shook her head and sighed disappointedly.

"Maybe it could be slowly killing me, but at least it tastes good and a life is only a life if it's worth living!" Tucker exclaimed.

Sam shook her head yet again. Both friends flinched when they heard a bang and looked at Danny, who was busy softly banging his head against his locker. Danny had on a black shirt with a white long sleeved jacket, which had a tiny FentonWorks moniker on the breast, some jeans and red and white sneakers. He'd let his hair grow out some and the hair at the nape of his neck was a bit longer than it had been in recent years. Though they had changed some physically and their clothing choices had evolved, not much else was different for the current seniors of Casper High.

"You okay dude?" Tucker asked with a frown.

"We need to hurry, Danny. We're going to be late for English with Mr. Lancer," Sam said with a bit of impatience.

"Can't get my stupid locker open," Danny groaned and looked left and right down the hallway to see no one there. He let a tiny smile come to his face and he slid his had through the locker with intangibility and grinned triumphantly when he fished out his book. "Gotcha!"

"Normally I'd scold you for using your powers like that, but I really don't want another detention. Let's get going. We've got like-" Sam started just as the late bell rang, "No time left." She deadpanned.

The three teens sighed and wandered towards the classroom. As soon as they walked in, Lancer spotted them.

"Explanation for your tardiness, Mr. Fenton, Mr. Foley, Mrs. Manson?" Lancer drawled.

"I um… got my backpack stuck in my locker. It was my fault, Mr. Lancer. Sam and Tuck were just trying to help," Danny rambled out an excuse with hesitant if not practiced ease.

"Hmmm… I suppose. Honestly I just don't want to even bother today. Sit down and get ready to take some notes. I'm going to assume everyone has finished the last few chapters I assigned?"

As Danny, Sam, and Tucker got to their seats, Mr. Lancer received a mixture of confident and hesitant nods from his class. The teacher turned to the board, grabbed a piece of chalk, and started to write. "I know you're all excited that this is your last year of high school, but hopefully you will at least try to get decent marks," Lancer commented, unimpressed.

zzz

The day went on as normal until Lunch. Danny, Sam, and Tucker had gotten their bag lunches from their lockers since they'd sworn off eating the Cafeteria food after an incident last week. Let's just say that Danny had flown through one of the refrigerators on accident during a ghost fight and had been horrified at the kind of stuff they made the lunches with. Yep they were certainly never eating that food again.

"Honestly they could've just served Oatmeal. It's not hard and they can't mess that up. I mean seriously, it isn't that expensive or involved! It's even not got meat in it!" Sam expressed in an exasperated tone.

"Why you subject yourself to that kind of torture… I'll never know."

"Just drop it, Tucker."

Danny was tuning out their meat versus veggies argument that almost always appeared, even if only briefly, every day. Sam was leaning slightly on Danny, though he didn't seem to notice, and Tucker was leaning on the table to get a good view of Sam as they talked. They had all ended up eating on the same side of their lunch table that day.

Danny glanced across the lunch room and saw Valerie had been staring at him. He cocked his head in confusion at her and saw her look away nervously. He glanced behind himself to see if she'd been looking at someone else and when he looked back, she was walking out the the room.

"Huh."

At Danny's voice, Tucker and Sam snapped out of their debate immediately and looked at their best friend.

"What?" Sam asked and tried to look and see what Danny had been looking at.

"Well it's just- AAGGH!" Danny yelped before he found his face inches from Dash's. Sam and Tucker had jumped a bit in surprise at the suddenness before a deep frown replaced the grimace on Sam's face. Tucker didn't look as hostile as Sam and tried to feint nervousness, but Tucker never liked it when his best buddy, or himself for that matter, got picked on.

Dash really didn't perturb them much anymore, but for them to suddenly act indifferent or even rebellious would be a strange one-eighty in Danny and Tucker's perceived personalities; it was part of their cover to help keep Danny's secret under wraps. Ghost hunting had changed them slowly from timid and naive young teens into young adults that were mature for their ages. Sam, on the other hand, could still show rebellion, since that had always been part of her personality from the start.

"Hey Fentonia! Did ya think I'd forgotten about ya today?" Dash taunted as heads poked up from their tables to watch the show that seemed to always come with their lunch. Though the trio was on the lower end of the popularity ladder, they were some of the most fascinating people in the school. A good portion of the students at Casper wanted to figure out why the three of them always seemed to be so secretive or how it was possible for three people to have as close a bond as them. The rest simply found it to be entertaining whenever Danny and Dash butted heads; sometimes Danny would even fight back, though never physically, and those encounters were the most interesting to watch.

"Of course not, Dash," Danny sighed in irritation and tried to shift a bit while dangling in the air by his t-shirt front. Over time, Danny had grown too tall for Dash to put him in the lockers, but he still hadn't been able to out-pace Dash in the height department. Swirlies and humiliation were still options, at least ones that caused Danny discomfort. Dash's punches had stopped hurting half as bad when Danny had received his powers and over time the initial and lasting pain from Dash's fists had lessened each year since then. At this point they felt no worse than a pinch.

"Tch, you sound bored," Dash growled.

Danny cocked an eyebrow, "You do the same thing every- single- day. How can I not be?"

"You're going to regret that, Fenturd!"

Danny actually gulped slightly at that and the look in Dash's eyes. _Me and my big mouth._

zzz

"Do you see anybody?!"

"Uh, I kinda don't have the bird's eye view like you do, dude."

"Aw come on, Tuck!"

"No one here, but you need to check around first!"

Sam and Tucker watched a bit anxiously and diligently as Danny looked around from his position on the flag pole. Dash had hoisted the young Fenton by his boxers, to the very top. Most would've probably been afraid of breaking something or even possible death from that height, but Danny was just annoyed at his… uncomfortable snag. He turned invisible and then intangible before appearing next to his friends on the ground and shifting his jeans with a frown.

"He still couldn't think of something original, even after I practically dared him," Danny mused and then let out a laugh of annoyance.

"Just shows how idiotic he is," Sam said with a shrug.

"Well two more class periods for the day, then we can go to the Nasty Burger and I can try that eight meat wonder!" Tucker declared excitedly, as the three headed back for the school entrance.

"We have to go on patrol tonight. Don't forget, guys," Danny added. He reached back without looking, automatically knowing Sam was about to pass his backpack to him. She had held it for him once Dash had shown up.

"Yeah, we know." They both replied with Sam nodding and Tucker glued to his PDA at the moment.

With everything the trio had been through, they'd developed a pretty deep bond. They knew each other's greatest fears, their mannerisms, their tendencies, and for Danny and Sam, they were so in sync that they tended to finish each other's sentences, something Tucker often teased them for.

Tucker suddenly grinned and popped his head up from his PDA, "I remembered something! It's going to be my birthday in a few months!"

Sam rolled her eyes and Danny perked up.

"Huh, oh yeah," Danny replied and gave a shake of his head and let out a slightly bitter laugh, "So busy I can't even remember my friend's own birthday."

"You hardly remembered your own birthday earlier this year. That's what we're here for, dude," Tucker grinned and threw an arm around Danny's shoulders.

"I'm going to be eighteen first you know, because I'm the eldest of the group," Sam smirked and soon threw her arm over Danny's shoulders as well.

"Aw geez Sam. Way to deflate my excitement," Tucker pouted.

Danny laughed lightly at his two friends, "Thanks guys." As the three friends continued walking with their arms around each other's shoulders, Sam asked a question.

"By the way, what were you going to say at lunch? You know, before Dash grabbed you?"

Danny frowned as the trio all moved their arms back to their sides, "It was weird… Valerie was like staring at me, but she looked so sad and then she left the lunch room after she noticed I'd seen her."

"Huh, maybe she saw Dash stalking up to ya and pitied you," Tucker suggested jokingly, before Sam elbowed him in the gut hard.

"Valerie's not that sympathetic, even towards most _humans_, going by our run-ins with her," Sam grumbled and then looked at Danny, "Could you give me a better idea of what you thought she was feeling?"

Danny sighed, "By the look in her eyes, it was almost like… she was ashamed of something."

"You… you don't think?" Tucker suddenly stopped walking and the other two turned to face him.

"What, Tuck?" Danny asked.

"You don't think she figured out you're Phantom, do you?" Tucker asked in response.

Danny and Sam's eyes grew as large as dinner plates.

"Oh God. You think she could've? But how?!" Danny asked, feeling his chest tighten and his breath quicken.

"Whoa let's calm down, Danny. We don't know for certain," Sam soothed and put a hand back on his shoulder, which seemed to calm him some; his breathing even slowed. Danny had always been an anxious person and the one thing that she and Tuck had noticed over time, especially after the lab accident that gave him his ghost powers, was that he calmed easier with human contact. Jazz had even hypothesized that he'd gained an increased need for similar contact after the accident because of how often he'd phased out of his friends' grip. Though Danny was level-headed in battle and a good leader under pressure, Sam and Tuck both knew what things could break his psyche down and the threat of his secret being found out before he was ready or with bad consequences was one of them. "Let's just keep going about our business like nothing's happened. If she does know, then she'll probably come and talk to you at some point."

"Yeah I mean, I don't think Valerie would rat you out or anything if she found out," Tucker added confidently, as they resumed their walk to the class. "I mean most people would think she was nuts, right?"

"Unless mom would feel like doing a test or two to be safe," Danny sighed. Sam and Tucker gave Danny a slightly worried and sympathetic look and hurried to catch up.

zzz

After the trio had finished school for the day, they'd gone to the Nasty Burger to fulfill Tucker's wishes and of course do what teenagers do and hangout.

"That's just… ew," Sam mumbled as she watched Tucker stuff his face with the eight meat wonder. She had finished her salad long ago and Danny was also actually grossed out by Tucker's eating. Sam looked over at Danny's plate which had some chicken strips and a salad on it. Trying to fight the smile coming to her face from the fact that she'd noticed him trying more and more to eat vegetables around her, she noticed he'd not eaten much. "Danny, you need to eat more. Remember what Clockwork said not too long ago about your genetic make-up? You have to eat more than normal people or your ghost half will start uncontrollably feeding on people's emotions to supplement itself."

Danny looked at her and frowned sheepishly, "Yeah, yeah I know… I just. I guess I'm not that hungry. I can't stop worrying about Valerie. What if… what if she really does rat me out? Who knows what could happen? Everyone might run me out of town! The GiW would be out for my head even more than they already are!"

Sam sighed in sympathy for her friend and placed a hand on his, "We won't let that happen. I really don't think you'd be run out of town either. Remember how proud you're parents were of you before you took their memories away with the Reality Gauntlet?"

"Yeah yeah… but what if… I mean it could only take the wrong way for them to find out for it to turn out differently."

Both Danny and Sam turned to face Tucker when they heard him snorting and trying to contain laughter.

"Sorry if I interrupted something," Tucker giggled and motioned to their hands. Sam's was still resting on top of Danny's. She jerked away in embarrassment and Danny hurriedly slid his into his lap, while both friends gave Tucker a glare.

"Love birds."

"WE AREN'T LOVEBIRDS!"

The talk was halted when a fine blue mist came from Danny's open mouth. The atmosphere began to change and other people in the restaurant started to get nervous.

"Ghost Child!" Skulker's voice boomed from outside.

Danny sighed, "It's always too much to expect a normal day." With that he got up and ran to the restroom.

Sam and Tucker looked at each other before glancing outside after someone announced that Danny Phantom had arrived. The two friends left some money for their meal and ran outside with their game faces on.

They saw Skulker looking down on Danny.

"Today, your pelt will lay at the foot of my bed!" Skulker declared with his arms wide, trying to look intimidating.

Danny was floating idly in front of him when he shook his head, making his white hair flutter a bit, "I don't think I'll ever get used to how disturbing that threat is. Yikes!" Danny yelped and dodged upwards while doing the splits. A green energy blast from Skulker's gun flew under his legs and struck an empty part of the street, leaving a black burn.

"Pay more attention, Ghost Child, else this hunt will be much too easy." Skulker grinned.

Danny frowned as a more serious demeanor came over him. People from the restaurant below started to peek out of the windows and front door to get a better look at the Ghost Hero fighting. By now, most people really liked Danny Phantom and trusted him. There were still a few that were suspicious or even rude, but Danny simply tried to be neutral with them.

"Who said anything about easy?" Danny spoke calmly with only a smirk on his face and then vanished. Skulker brought an ecto-scanner to his eye and started to look around for Danny's invisible form. He caught sight of it right before he received a ecto-powered kick to the gut.

"Gah!" Skulker cried out and crashed into the ground, cracking the parking lot asphalt in a circle around him and sending up a small cloud of dust.

"Don't tell me you've had enough already Skulker!?" Danny shouted. After a moment of silence and waiting for the dust to settle, Danny cocked one eyebrow. Without warning, a whip of energy shot from the dust cloud and wrapped around Danny's ankle. Almost immediately the whip lit up with electricity.

"AAAAAaaaHHH!" Danny screamed in pain and thrashed in the air. He pulled his head up, going against the compulsion to arch his back from the electricity traveling through him, and shot Skulker in the chest with ice rays from his eyes. Skulker's form froze over and the whip's energy fizzled out since the circuit was cut off. Then the whip slid off Danny's ankle.

Danny smirked and went to grab the Fenton Thermos on his back when it was shot from his hand and sent spinning through the air, making a clunk noise when it hit the ground.

"Not yet," Skulker growled, "I said today you will hang on my wall and I meant it." Before Danny could react, Skulker shot a spider web of ectoplasmic goo at him and plastered him to a nearby building. Danny heard a few people gasp and some started talking worriedly. He briefly saw, form the corner of his eye, Sam shove Tucker out into going after the Thermos, while she ran up with a wrist ray pointed at Skulker and began to fire. Skulker turned and aimed at her in return. Danny gasped an made a snap decision to use a weak Ghostly Wail since his ice rays weren't damaging Skulker enough at the moment and his mouth was the only other thing free. He took a deep breath of air just as Skulker whipped around and shot another glob of goo at him. "Oh no you don't!" The hunter snarled.

"Mmph!" Danny grunted from the impact the back of his head made with the building due to recoil and found more goo plastered over his mouth. He strained against the goo around his chest and arms and tried to pull up his legs to no avail. His eyes widened when Skulker turned back around and aimed at Sam and Tucker.

"Let Danny Phantom go!" Sam shouted. She and Tucker both tried not to call him just Danny when he was in his Phantom persona in public, especially the times they jumped in to help hunt the ghosts.

"Afraid I can't do that. As for you two, I can't have you trying to come after us," Skulker grinned and charged up his gun. Sam did the same with hers as Tucker started typing furiously on his PDA.

"Tucker! Can't you hack into his suit any faster!?" Sam yelled and glanced up at her struggling friend. Danny was still trying to wrestle out of his bindings.

"Scarlett and I are working as fast as we can, Sam!" Tucker yelped as his fingers flew across the keys. He had a look of concentration on his face and his tongue was starting to stick out slightly from the side of his mouth.

Skulker growled when he heard that and fired. Sam fired at the same time; the two blasts collided in midair and exploded, forcing Sam onto her rear and sending Tucker to his stomach, making his PDA fumble from his grasp.

Skulker smiled calmly and started powering up his gun again to aim at Sam and Tucker while Danny thrashed more fiercely in his bonds. Skulker suddenly faltered when he felt a rush of warmth radiating from Danny's direction. Everyone turned and saw waves of heat pulsing from Danny Phantom's form.

_He could feel a warmth and then a fierce burning, igniting his chest as his anger grew. Skulker was attacking his best friends. It was him he wanted! There was no reason for Skulker to attack them! He felt the intense burning spread out from his chest to the rest of his body and then he opened his eyes…_

Danny's eyes turned a bright orange-yellow and pale orange-yellow ghost flames with white highlights started igniting on the goo, making it start to melt.

"Danny?" Sam whispered under her breath.

Danny was suddenly freed and was glaring at Skulker. He shot forwards as the same ghostly orange-yellow and white flames erupted around his form, turning Phantom into something of a ghostly comet. Skulker was so surprised, that he didn't even budge until Danny crashed into him. His metal suit started to melt and screech before Skulker activated his jet pack's turbo boost and flew up to get out of the way of Danny's path. Danny immediately started to lose altitude and he crashed into the ground with such force that it dug a track in the street. The flames died down and Phantom laid limply in the crater. The right side of Skulker's face and chest was now partially melted due to Phantom's attack.

Sam was terrified that Danny would revert to Fenton right then and there. Danny had been trying to practice not reverting forms while asleep or unconscious, but she was hoping that all the work they'd done recently in training would be enough.

"Hey Spook!"

Sam was halfway to Danny with Tucker still typing furiously on his PDA when they heard a familiar voice. They looked up and saw Valerie, as the Red Huntress, hovering in front of Skulker on her hover-board.

"I have no time for you right now, Huntress. Phantom is almost mine," Skulker growled and started heading towards Danny, Sam and Tucker. Valerie seemed to freeze when she caught sight of Phantom lying still in the ditch ahead. The visage of her dream came to the forefront of her mind and she did something she never thought she would do. She fired at Skulker first, causing him to falter in the air and strike the ground; his jet pack started to spark and smoke from the damage it had received.

_Why would I do that? Am I protecting Phantom? Focus Val, focus. It was just a dream. A very disturbing, but irrational dream._

Valerie compromised with herself and decided to handle Skulker first, regardless. "Don't turn your back on me, scum!"

Skulker grumbled in annoyance and pulled out a large bazooka from seemingly nowhere. "I WILL have his pelt this time! You will NOT interfere."

Sam took a glance back at Danny and saw he was panting heavily. She ran closer as Tucker continued to watch Valerie and Skulker face off. She reached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, flinching and pulling back slightly in surprise. He was burning up. Danny's temperature was on the low side compared to humans, but warm for ghosts. This fever, if you could call it that, was high for even normal human standards.

"Tucker!" Sam hissed quietly and got the techno geek's attention. "Danny is not looking good. We need to make a tactical retreat."

Tucker nodded and furrowed his brows before continuing to work on his PDA.

"If I can just hack through this last firewall that Technus must be responsible for, then I can access Skulker's weaponry. I think he carries a smoke-screen. It would be the perfect way to slip away with 'Phantom' on our shoulders."

"Hurry then!"

"Okay okay, geez!" Tucker worked for what seemed to be another couple minutes before a grin split his face. "I'm the greatest!" Tucker looked up and clicked a button.

Skulker suddenly froze and his arm shot up above his head against his will, stiffly, holding a grenade-like device.

"What in the name of the Infinite Realms!?" Skulker yelled out in frustration as the device opened slightly, letting a dense white fog pour out and cover the area. Valerie and the crowds started to cough, while everyone's, including Skulker's, vision was obscured.

Sam and Tucker lifted Danny onto their shoulders and took off into a nearby alleyway.

"Danny feels like he sat in a sauna for several minutes too many," Tucker expressed half-jokingly and continued to wheeze as they hurried along.

"Not the time for joking, Tucker. When we get far enough away, we need to call Jazz. Remember Danny said that she's on a research-oriented break from College? She can bring her car and we can find a safe place to figure out what's wrong with Danny."

"That was so cool! Does this mean Danny can use fire powers or something now?" Tucker said excitedly.

"Who knows, but we need to focus on getting him better right now," Sam returned.

They got deep enough into the maze of alleyways for Tucker to slip out from holding Danny and grab Sam's phone from her. She continued to support their friend.

_"Hello?"_

"Hello, Jazz?" Tucker asked after Jazz's voice had answered.

_"Tucker? What are you doing with Sam's phone?"_

"It's Danny. Something's happened an-"

_"What!? Danny!? What happened!? Is he okay!?"_

"Yeah yeah, he's fine… I think. Look, we need you to come and pick us up in your car. Danny's still out of it and it wouldn't be safe in his uhhh… condition to go to FentonWorks."

_"Okay okay, I'll be right there."_

"Have the coordinates… now?" Tucker asked and clicked a button on his PDA.

_"Yep! They just showed up on my car's GPS. On my way!"_

Tucker then hung up.

"She coming?"

"Yeah… how's Danny?"

Sam glanced down at her friend and saw he was still unconscious, panting with sweat creating a sheen over his paling skin.

"Who would've guessed even ghost sweat glows a bit?" Tucker joshed, but silenced himself after a glare from Sam came his way.

"I wonder what made this happen? Does a half ghost just suddenly pick up another power randomly like that? Does a full ghost?" Sam mused.

"I don't know… maybe we could go visit Clockwork if Danny doesn't get better soon," Tucker suggested, just as they heard Jazz pull up next to the alleyway in her small car. Sam and Tucker got Danny on their shoulders again and got into the vehicle as Jazz started to drive.

"So what happened?" Jazz asked, barely taking her gaze from the road to only cast a glance in the mirror back at them.

"We think Danny unlocked another power or something. At the moment though, he's just really hot. He has a fever that's high for normal human standards which is bad since you know Danny's normal body temp is around eighty-nine to ninety," Sam explained.

"Wait… did he use pyrokinesis or something?" Jazz asked.

"It… it seemed that way," Sam replied hesitantly, "We're considering going to see Clockwork if Danny can't pull out of it soon-"

"Mmm…" Danny groaned and arched his back slightly. A white ring of energy and light appeared around his waist and he suddenly transformed into his human form. His body relaxed again and he continued to shiver from the fever in his sleep.

"He… he transformed while unconscious?" Tucker asked and quirked an eyebrow.

"Huh, maybe that bit of practice helped some," Jazz suggested as they got closer to the Fenton's home.

"Jazz, It might be dangerous to go to your house," Tucker spoke up.

"I think we should take the Specter Speeder to Clockwork's. A high fever can damage the human body severely. This isn't something we should use the 'wait and see' tactic for." Jazz answered when she'd reached the driveway and parked, "Besides, Mom and Dad are out looking for that ghost Danny was fighting, Skulker, right?"

"Okay you have a point," Tucker nodded.

Sam glanced down at Danny's form and gripped his shoulder. After Tucker and Jazz had started getting out, she spoke. "It'll be alright, Danny."

zzz

A few moments later, they were floating through the Ghost Zone. It's green swirling atmosphere was constantly alight with energy and dotted with various doors to ghosts' lairs. Tucker was the one driving the Speeder, since he was more familiar with the layout of the known parts of the Ghost Zone than Jazz. Jazz and Sam were tending to Danny in the meantime. They had retrieved one of the First Aid kits from one of the Specter Speeder's compartments.

"Hundred and one," Jazz said worriedly as she pulled the thermometer from Danny's mouth.

"Dude! That's like twelve points above normal! If he was an average human he'd be dea… dead," Tucker finished lamely. Sam and Jazz's faces were deadpan. "You know what I mean!" Tucker grumbled in frustration.

"Yeah yeah," Sam answered and looked back down at Danny's trembling form with a frown.

ooo

Danny felt like his body was on fire. The only thing in recent memory he could think of equating to this discomfort was when Undergrowth had tried to take over and he had felt his body was going to freeze from the inside out due to his developing cryokinesis.

He shivered, on his hands and knees in the dark void that was around him.

_I'm still here… Your time is up… Ten years… me._

He could hear horrid laughter, echoing off of some invisible objects and into his ears. Danny went to clutch his head and froze in horror. The tips of his fingers didn't touch white hair, but open flames… white… glowing flames licking from between his fingers. He did the first thing that his body insisted and screamed at the top of his lungs.

_I'm still here… You… promised?_

The voice seemed to fade a bit at the end before the fever induced nightmare ended.

ooo

"He won't stop thrashing!" Sam yelled as Danny started to pull against her and Jazz's best efforts to keep him still. After growing older and hunting ghosts through the years, all the members of Team Phantom had become quite strong. Then again even if Danny hadn't ever developed at all, he would still have ghost powers and super strength. If they didn't get to Clockwork soon, then he would get out of their grasp and hurt himself, no question.

"I can see his tower!" Tucker yelped.

Tucker halted the vehicle in front of the tower as Jazz and Sam started carrying Danny. Before they could even approach the door, Clockwork flashed into view in front of them.

"Here," Clockwork spoke and pulled Danny from the girls' hold and into his arms, "Follow me." He turned and the doors opened on their own allowing them all inside.

After climbing the clock tower to it's main chamber, Clockwork carefully placed Danny on a recessed stone ledge, letting it act as a bed. The clocks' ticks and the noises from the cogs in the large room were the only sounds until Sam spoke up.

"Clockwork, what's happened to him?" Sam asked.

Clockwork held up a hand and walked over to a table with various objects on it. He picked one up which had the appearance of a frisbee. It was made of metal with a blue stone material of some sorts, making up most of the center. He floated back over to Danny and placed the device on the young halfa's chest. Something clicked and the blue stone in the center started to glow.

"Now I can answer questions. That device is very effective against all ghostly flames or ecto-generated heat. It's cooling his body temperature as we speak," Clockwork explained.

"What happened?" Tucker asked, parroting Sam's previous question.

"Danny has unlocked yet another ability, pyrokinesis."

"How'd he manage that?" Jazz asked, "It was kinda random and sudden."

Clockwork changed into his old man form, "His cryokinesis came to him almost as sudden, did it not? From the beginning there was a hint of such powers inside of him. His ghost sense was an indicator of his cryokinesis and believe it or not, his ghost stinger ability indicated he had the potential for pyrokinesis as well."

"Wait, really?" Sam asked and then asked another question, "Does something determine what abilities they can learn or do ghosts just keep learning new things?"

Clockwork nodded. "The elemental abilities of ghosts tends to reflect either their personality or the way they died or where created. Ghosts tend to be either neutral, ice, fire, or dual core oriented. While most all ghosts can eventually practice and learn how to manipulate and move matter with general telekinesis, having an elemental core allows a ghost to actually manifest ice or fire along with their basic ectoplasmic energy. A large portion of ghosts are neutral, a smaller portion are either ice or fire, and even fewer are dual. Dual core ghosts are often created through special means and have complex obsessions or abilities. Daniel is something of a special case; as to how he became a dual core ghost, I cannot divulge a more detailed explanation of why at this time. It's possible that Danny's anger towards Skulker for attacking you both was the final crack that broke the dam holding back this power inside him."

"Wait, Danny's emotions can have that big of an effect on his abilities?" Jazz asked with a slightly troubled look on her face.

"They did when he received Vortex's powers for a time, did they not? Let me put it this way, ghosts tend to come into their core's strengths fairly soon if they so desire. Their deaths are greatly tied to their abilities. On the other hand, Daniel is still alive and because of that his more potent humanity and all it's emotions, not just the ones that full ghosts tend to obsess over, give him a bit more flexibility compared to most other ghosts."

"Wait! So because Ghosts can feel all emotions but most are focused on one or two because of their deaths or obsessions, they come into their power fairly soon and have to develop it's strength over time. Danny's different because of his humanity. Being alive makes his powers grow and form differently?" Sam asked.

"Yes, there's a bit more to it, but as I said, I can't easily explain that to you at this time," Clockwork replied.

"So… can Danny only use his pyrokinesis when he's angry?" Tucker questioned.

"At the moment, most likely, but the masters of pyrokinesis who are righteous in the Ghost Zone use other methods, such as drawing on ambition or fighting spirit to bring forth the eternal flames within."

"How can Danny feel alright and control this in time for school tomorrow?" Jazz said in a bit of a panic.

"Clockwork?" Tucker asked, expecting help.

Clockwork frowned, "I can't give direct instructions to alter your choices… only info to an extent. However… don't humans get fevers too?"

Sam looked at the ghost as he shifted into his child form. An idea clicked in her head, "Wait! If we can get Danny to a temperature that would be manageable and still convince Mr. and Mrs. Fenton that Danny needs to stay home from school tomorrow, then we can wait until they're out to bring him back here and see how he can control this new power! We could come super early, help him here quick and be back at school before we're missed."

Clockwork, still in his baby form, smiled mischievously at Sam for using his hint so well.

"Can you get Danny help with controlling his power tomorrow if we can get him to you in the morning super early?" Jazz asked Clockwork.

Clockwork nodded, "That I can do. After all, even as Father Time, I still can act out my own parts in the Play of the Ages. I know a good friend that could aid him with this new power."

"Thanks Clockwork," Sam sighed.

Clockwork merely nodded and turned to look at Danny expectantly as his baby-blue eyes slowly opened and a groan left his throat.

"What hit me?"

"The ground dude. You plowed into the street like a meteorite!" Tucker exclaimed.

Danny let his head roll over and he glanced down at some of the visible scrapes on his hands, most of the other damage would be hidden by his clothes. He glanced around and realized where they were, "How'd we get… here?"

"We thought Clockwork was the only person who could help. Do you remember what you did?" Jazz asked her little brother.

Danny was silent for a second, obviously still coming out of his sleep, when suddenly his eyes shot open and he leaned up swiftly. "I didn't hurt anybody, did I? Oh God I didn't, right?"

Sam saw the almost invisible and speedy glance Danny made towards the ghost shield containing a certain thermos at the other end of the room.

"No Danny, you didn't hurt anyone at all," Sam soothed and started to walk closer with the other two.

"Except melt a bit of Skulker's suit. Man he's gonna be repairing that for weeks!" Tucker grinned.

"Melt?" Danny asked.

The three other teens glanced at each other before Clockwork spoke.

"It appears as though you've developed pyrokinesis, Daniel. Congratulations."

Danny seemed shocked and listened closely as Clockwork repeated what he'd told Sam, Tucker, and Jazz and Sam repeated their plan for tomorrow morning. After they finished that talk, Danny sighed and relaxed. His cheeks were still rosy from his still warm body but he was no longer sweating.

"Another ten minutes or so and you can go home until morning. I can also remove the Cryodisc from your chest. It uses a certain type of energy to 'magnetize' itself to a ghost's core to help cool it." Clockwork expressed as he switched into his middle-aged form.

"Huh, I saw some of these at Frostbite's once. I always thought they were frisbees or something, heh," Danny laughed nervously.

"You're such a dork," Sam snorted and cuffed him in the head playfully as she sat near the head of his temporary bed. Tucker and Jazz then went to sit at his feet while they waited.

The four friends sat and talked until Clockwork was able to take off the Cryodisc and send Team Phantom on their way. Danny hesitantly used Jazz for support until he was seated in the Specter Speeder.

"Farewell, I shall see you all early tomorrow," Clockwork nodded after the others returned with their own words of parting. Clockwork then vanished after turning into his old man form, no doubt returning to his constant vigil over Time.

Tucker got at the wheel again and soon they were heading back to the human world at a nice clip. On the ride back, Danny was staring out of the window quietly. Sam was sitting closest to him and could see his deep frown in the reflection of the window.

"Danny, what's wrong?" She asked quietly.

He seemed to flinch at her question before he shook his head solemnly and gave her what she knew was one of his false smiles, the ones he used to lie about how he was feeling or whether he was hurt.

"Just thinking about… my new power. I wonder what I can do with it."

It wasn't really a question as one would expect, more like an empty sentence. She knew there was more to what he was thinking about.

"I bet something good, like you almost always do," Sam replied calmly and with a small smirk, trying to make him laugh about the few pranks and things he'd done with his powers, but more importantly reminding him of his service to Amity on an almost daily basis. He didn't seem to reply though. Though still worried for him and knowing he was not happy, she decided to leave him alone. She almost didn't hear him answer her in a soft whisper filled with worry.

"I hope so…"

* * *

**6/30/16: ****Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.**

**~NoSignal**


	2. A Huntress Becomes an Ally

**Edited: 7/4/16: Little extra tweaking to better fit character personalities.**

**Edited: 6/30/16: ****Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts, past speech, or distant speaking unless indicated otherwise_

* * *

_"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." ~Gloria Steinem_

zzz

Team Phantom got back home from Clockwork's lair and helped Danny onto the couch. He was still warm for a ghost, but only a degree or two above normal for a human. He was slowly cooling further, but it would take awhile. The teens got their plan together just as Mr. and Mrs. Fenton walked in the front door.

"Jazz, Danny we're home!" Maddie called out as she and Jack moved into the living room, both wearing their jumpsuits. Jack rushed into the kitchen, muttering something about fudge; Maddie froze when she saw Danny laying on the couch with Sam holding a cold rag on his head and Tucker and Jazz sitting nearby talking casually.

"Danny are you alright?" Maddie asked and walked forward before looking up at the others, "What happened?"

"He's been feeling bad today, mom. We brought him here after school. He has a slight fever," Jazz spoke up.

Maddie nodded and gave a Danny a pitying look, "My poor baby boy."

Danny groaned at her nickname for him and slapped a hand over his eyes, while Sam and Tucker tried to stifle their giggles.

"Well you probably need to stay home tomorrow then," Maddie sighed and put her hands on her hips.

Jack popped halfway out from the kitchen with fudge smeared about his mouth, "Danny-boy's staying home tomorrow?"

"Yes, Jack," Maddie smiled brightly at her husband.

"Well I hope you get to feeling better, son!" Jack bellowed before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Danny couldn't stop the smile that came to his face against his will. No matter what, he'd always love his parents; they were good parents even if they were weird and a bit oblivious.

Eventually Sam and Tucker said goodbye for the day and left, promising to come early tomorrow when Maddie and Jack wouldn't see them. Luckily Jazz knew that her mom and dad were going for a meeting tomorrow at Axion Labs. Recently, FentonWorks and Axion Labs had started really trying to make much stronger connections between one another in their attempts to study ghosts and protect Amity from said ghosts. After Sam and Tucker had left, Jazz stood up and turned to Danny now that their parents had gone down into the lab.

"I'm going to fix you some soup." Jazz nodded.

"Jazz, you do realize I'm not really sick, right? Just really really hot," Danny huffed.

"Hmmm… Maybe some cold soup then? Some Gazpacho?" Jazz smiled.

Danny shook his head in amusement. "Whatever."

Jazz laughed happily and went into the kitchen. Danny sighed and threw an arm over his eyes. He could feel his temperature lowering ever so slowly.

"Tomorrow's going to be a long day," Danny murmured.

zzz

When the next day came, Maddie was reluctant to leave Danny at home alone, but he assured her, as he laid on the couch in a tank and sweatpants, that he'd call Jazz if he needed anything. After Maddie and Jack had left for Axion Labs, Sam and Tucker arrived and helped Jazz get Danny into the Spector Speeder. Jazz stayed behind to keep watch, just incase their parents made a surprise return visit.

The trio traveled through the Ghost Zone and eventually arrived at Clockwork's. After talking for a brief while, dropping Danny off, and saying goodbye, they left for the Human World to head to school. Jazz was heading to the library for research purposes but would be going to Casper High to get Danny's make up work later.

zzz

Danny listened carefully to Clockwork as the two moved towards the main viewing room in the tower. The young man looked up to Clockwork immensely. Though he was always indirect in how he helped, Danny had come to accept and understand why Clockwork did things the way he did. If anything, Clockwork was glad at how much trust Danny put in him. The ghost of time was used to people hating him and blaming him for all kinds of things, even cursing him when he wouldn't help. To have someone understand why things couldn't always be fixed magically and perfectly, was… a kind of relief to the old ghost. From his knowledge of everything time related, Clockwork knew Danny didn't just trust him because of Clockwork's actions and involvement with saving his family. Danny understood Clockwork's job, the good and the bad.

"You won't easily come to understand your Pyrokinesis in one day, but you will be able to contain it in your core and switch between the cold and hot cores you possess. Being able to control the heat and switch back to a cold core will be the most important thing to keep your identity hidden. Then once you have this kind of control, you can come here whenever you wish to practice some of the finer things about your Pyrokinesis. Unlike your practice with Cryokinesis, I understand you don't have a couple days of no responsibility to spare."

Danny nodded, "Yeah, last time with my ice powers, the whole town was taken over. School wasn't happening, my parents weren't aware, no one was for that matter… Right now, I don't have spare time. It's the middle of a school week."

"Indeed." Clockwork nodded and switched from his middle-aged form to his old man form. He floated over to the set of doors that led to his main viewing room and turned to Danny, "I'm going to introduce you to an old friend of mine. I will warn you to try and show respect, even if he doesn't exactly behave kindly. He's kind of a purest and the idea of you being both a ghost and a human at the same time is odd to him. He's a pretty powerful ghost, but he's also one who enjoys his alone time, much like myself."

"Oh great, another fan," Danny grumbled sarcastically.

Clockwork smiled in sympathy. "People fear change and difference. Ghosts share those same qualities even after death."

Danny smiled. "This is when Sam would say something about people being too stubborn to except the different and unique or something like that."

Clockwork chuckled, "You know your friends well, Daniel. Come, I would like you to meet Hakan." Clockwork opened the doors and directed Danny's gaze towards a ghost in the center of the room.

He looked like a traditional Native American chieftain. He had no chief's hat though; his dark brown dreadlocks flowed down his back and over the front of his shoulders. A couple feathers were bound to a few strands of his hair. His eyes were squinted as he gazed at Danny and Clockwork. A large pipe was held in his hand and he let out a breath of smoke from his mouth and nose. He didn't have the same odd skin-tones that most ghosts had in the Ghost Zone and instead he appeared as a sort of clear visage of a normal human form. It was odd for powerful ghosts in the Zone to take the appearance of something more akin to a shade or weaker ghost; he almost seemed to be more like the kind of traditional things people thought of when they thought of ghosts before a portal to the Ghost Zone had been created.

"The child of the spirit caught between the earth and the heavens." Hakan murmured and put the pipe to his mouth again for another breath.

"Does he mean, Halfa?" Danny asked and quirked an eyebrow at Clockwork, who gave a silent nod.

"Come, child," Hakan spoke and let the smoke out from his nose and mouth again.

Danny glanced at Clockwork and his guardian nodded. Danny took a breath and walked forward.

"Hello, uh Mr. Hakan sir," Danny spoke and put out a hand to shake.

Hakan obliged. "A strange creature you are. Not quite man and not quite spirit."

"Yeah I get that a lot." Danny cringed slightly.

Hakan stood straighter and muttered, "The flesh and spirit should not occupy the same body in the way it does for you. It is a disgrace to the balance we have." Danny's face suddenly fell and a slight scowl came to his features. "I feel hesitant giving power or control of power to such a being, but Father Time has assured me it is okay. I do this for him, not you," Hakan expressed.

Danny glanced over his shoulder at Clockwork with a pleading look on his face. This guy was starting to remind him too much of the Observants, who thought Halfas were unnatural and unneeded. Clockwork gave a sympathetic smile again and placed two Cryodiscs on a nearby table, "I'm going to leave these here. I'm fairly certain you will need them."

Danny's face grew frustrated after Clockwork somewhat sheepishly left the room. Danny sighed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I would actually rather be at school today."

zzz

"I'd much rather be with Danny today, even if we got accidentally fried," Tucker grumbled.

"You said it," Sam agreed.

The duo's day had been less than fun to say the least. Even though they'd helped Danny very early that morning, they had still been late because of the Box Ghost appearing. They had both agreed that they should at least handle the Box Ghost while Danny was temporarily out of commission. After getting late to first period and earning a detention for that afternoon, they had run into Dash between first and second period who had asked them where Fen-toad was. Tucker got locked in the janitor's closet since Danny wasn't there for the bully's pleasure. They had also missed the first half of Lunch to go with Jazz to make sure they got Danny's make up work from Principle Ishiyama's office. When they finally got the chance to sit down outside at their favorite bench, Valerie had approached them, halfway through eating.

"Tucker, incoming," Sam hissed when she spotted Valerie walking towards their table.

"Who?"

"Valerie."

"Oh, snap. You don't think?"

"Maybe, hush."

Valerie stopped and raised a brow at Sam and Tucker hunched over their table. They sat up sharply and gave giant fake smiles.

"Hello, Valerie," Sam said, trying to seem normal.

"Um, hi…" Valerie said and then shook her head. She put her bag on the bench and then sat next to Tucker, who tensed up. "Look I need to talk to you guys seriously about something. First where's Danny today?"

Sam and Tucker looked at each other and took a more serious demeanor than previously.

"Danny's sick today. He should be back tomorrow," Tucker replied.

Valerie nodded. "I guess that's good actually."

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other with a brow raised each.

Valerie sighed, "I don't know if you've noticed, but the last couple days I've been avoiding Danny."

"Well kinda… I think he noticed you were looking at him funny. Is there something wrong?" Sam asked.

Valerie frowned, "I… I was wondering since you two seem to like Phantom…"

Sam and Tucker watched her as she spoke and looked at them.

"Do you know what connection there is between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom?" Valerie asked.

Sam and Tucker glanced at each other nervously.

zzz

"Fire is the opposite of Ice. So instead of letting all the energy inside, out, in order to regain control, you need to contain it. Pull it in. Once it is pulled back as far as possible, it no longer has anything to burn and extinguishes until you give it fuel again. Like anger, fire must be controlled or you will no longer be the one in control," Hakan explained and let out another breath of smoke.

"I always heard bottling up anger is dangerous," Danny murmured suspiciously.

"It is. You aren't putting a cork in it, but you are keeping it mostly contained. The 'steam' so to speak is allowed out, but the fire stays in until you need it," Hakan muttered.

"Okay… okay, so I just push it down?" Danny asked after he'd transformed into Phantom.

"Yes," Hakan replied, eyeing the new form Danny had taken with some weird mix of curiosity and disapproval.

Danny nodded and stood straight before starting to concentrate on the heat in his chest. Then he moved to the heat in the rest of his body and slowly started to push it towards the center. It was resisting though and Danny started to sweat from the strain and from the heat that was increasing from it being condensed.

"RRrrrrRRaaaah!" Danny cried out and forced it down harder and harder. His hands were balled into fists and he was clenching his teeth. He suddenly couldn't keep it up and the heat still hadn't gotten past the point of containment. Danny lost his focus and the heat washed back over him and flew out from his hands when he spread them out. "AAaah!" Danny fell to his knees and panted as sweat started mat his hair.

Hakan sighed, walked over to the table, and picked up one of the Cryodiscs. He came back over and pressed it against Danny's chest. It clicked and started to glow. Danny looked up at Hakan in slight surprise.

"You will try again after you cool down. Father Time informed me that it's most important for you to able to hide the fire and keep it in check today, then more tutelage can come later," Hakan explained.

Danny sighed and fell onto his butt, waiting for the device to cool his core just enough.

zzz

"Uh… What do you mean connection between Danny and Phantom?" Sam murmured.

Valerie looked between the two friends and furrowed her brows, "I mean you two seem to always be around with Phantom. I just assumed Danny helped too… unless… do his parents not approve of that?"

"Yeah. You know the Fentons. They don't like Phantom very much," Tucker laughed lamely.

Sam nodded at Tucker and then looked back at Valerie after she heard the bell ring, "Uh look Valerie, me and Tucker need to go. We really can't be late for another class today."

"We'll see you later, sometime," Tucker nodded before hurrying after Sam.

Valerie nodded to them both as they walked away and then sighed.

_Maybe it really was just a dream… Maybe it doesn't mean anything…_

"All because I went to bed thinking about Dani and half-ghosts. Why does everything with Phantom involved have to be so-" Valerie paused. An idea started to slowly form in her head. Dani Phantom changing into her human form, that ghost turning into Vlad Masters, Danny Phantom calling Dani his cousin. Her dream flashed through her mind and she could picture the white rings Dani had around Danny Phantom's waist. Her arms fell limply to her sides and for the first time in a long while, Valerie started to cry. She ran away from Casper, transformed into the Red Huntress in a place she wouldn't be spotted and flew home. At the moment, she was feeling pretty sick too. Her mind was preoccupied, school wouldn't stand a chance for her attention the rest of the day.

zzz

"I don't know if I can do this," Danny sighed in agitation. He was sweating even more now. He had tried three times already to quell the fire in his core.

Hakan grumbled and walked over to Danny. He clutched the disc on Danny's chest and yanked it off. It made a click noise coming off and Danny yelped in shock.

"I'm surprised. I thought one who can wear their soul on the outside would be stronger willed than this." Hakan shook his head.

Danny frowned. "Soul on the outside? You mean my Phantom persona?"

"Indeed. Perhaps you lost your spirit instead when that mouth of thunder half killed you," Hakan mused.

"Mouth of thunder, the portal?" Danny murmured and then looked up with irritation. "Are you trying to say that I lost my determination or something?"

"Did you lose it?" Hakan asked and rose a brow.

Danny growled, "No I didn't. I wouldn't get up in the early hours to fight ghosts if I had! I wouldn't keep fighting when I'm aching all over or bleeding profusely if I had! I will protect the people I love and I will never stop." Heat started to come in waves from Danny's body as he stared at Hakan. The old ghost didn't seem worried and let out another breath of smoke.

"I don't value your word."

Danny growled more angrily and threw his hands forward. Orangish white flames shot from his palms and rushed towards Hakan. Hakan didn't move except for taking the pipe away from his mouth. He took a breath and dark blue flames flew from his throat like a fire-breather. They completely engulfed Danny's flames and the fires canceled each other out. Danny stumbled back a bit and glanced down at his hands in fear.

"I… I didn't mean to…"

"Control the anger. Control the fire. Pull it inside," Hakan spoke and took yet another inhale of his pipe. "All emotions are necessary, like fear. Hatred is something that can be controlled and managed like all emotions. Do you want to hurt people?"

"No! Of course I-"

"Do you want to hurt your family and friends?"

"NO!"

"Do you want to hurt your enemies?" Hakan pushed further, floated closer, and towered over Danny partway.

There was a pregnant pause and for a moment Danny was gapping like a fish, until-

"No." Danny whispered.

"What was that?"

"No." Danny replied more firmly and then sighed. "I've never really wanted to hurt… anyone."

Hakan looked over Danny while the young man continued to glance at the ground in shame. Finally Hakan sighed. "You are an interesting one, child. You are a disgrace to the balance and yet, you behave like a Great Guardian."

"Huh?" Danny asked and cocked his head in confusion.

Hakan smiled. "Great warriors of my people that were known for their bravery and just nature."

Danny gave Hakan a smile, "I'm sorry for… attacking you."

"Bah, you think it's the first time I've gotten someone angry at me?"

Danny laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"So now, where were we?" Hakan nodded and put the pipe to his mouth again.

Danny smiled and closed his eyes. "Pulling in the heat."

zzz

Valerie wasn't surprised when she didn't find her father at home. He was supposed to be having a meeting with Danny's parents today at Axion. After working so hard as a security guard, the company had finally allowed him into the communications department which dealt with some minor business ventures; she wasn't sure if Vlad had any part in that decision or not, but she tried to focus more on how happy her father seemed. She dropped her things at the door to their apartment and walked into her room. Her eyes were red from crying some and she simply fell onto her bed. It was all too much. Maybe she was just inventing things? Danny Fenton being Danny Phantom? It was just just, but no. That had to be the reason no one had figured it out, why no one had figured Vlad Masters out. Sometimes the most obvious things are the most difficult ones to notice.

She took a deep breath and tried to relax, but her dream flashed back into her mind like a cruel reminder. She stood up and started to pace.

"Okay let's see where this goes. What do Fenton and Phantom have in common?"

_Fenton leaves and Phantom appears, though that could always be a coincidence. Danny did say once that he's afraid of ghosts. They look the same in body type and such. Fenton started to change some since that accident a couple years ago. He seemed to be doing worse in school since then, he wasn't as personable except with his two best friends, and he seemed to always need to go to the bathroom. The accident was also about the time that Phantom first appeared. Phantom seemed to be aging, even his body had started to change like a growing teenage boy should and ghosts don't change slowly. They tended to only change at all if they were granted power in some way._

"If Danny Fenton was actually Phantom, then he probably would've been trying to help people and all those times he tried to say he was helping-"

_No. What about him stealing and hurting the mayor before Masters!?_

She growled in frustration, trying to put everything together. She needed answers from the source itself. They needed to talk. At the same time, she was worried she was just falling into the ghost's trap, the same one she'd sworn she would never fall for. Valerie then sighed and flopped onto her side on the bed. Her nightmare had followed her beyond her pillow.

zzz

"Aaaaaaah…" Danny sighed happily as he kneeled on the now cold floor. Ice curled and spiraled around him. Some of the smallest of crystals would break off from the spiraled structures around him that he was building and float about his form like snow and cool him like mist. "I will never take my ice powers for granted again."

Hakan chuckled, "You have figured out how to control and pull in your fire. I suggest meditation for a time after very stressful days to prevent yourself from losing control. Come back when you have the time and I will try and teach you how to harness the power you have. Before you go, quickly… I want to see you switch between your hot and cold core as effectively as you can."

Danny nodded and stood up. He closed his eyes and concentrated. The ice around him slowly started to melt and Hakan could feel heat waves pulsing from the young Fenton. Then suddenly the heat started to fade away and the hissing water on the floor started to crystalize and turn into solid ice as a chill reentered the room. The heat returned once more and then the cold yet again. Finally Danny opened his eyes with hope in them.

Hakan was smiling broadly, "I have to say, I think I see now why Father Time has taken a liking to you, child."

Danny smiled back. "Thanks for your help, Hakan. I hope to see you again soon when I have the chance to come back and visit."

Hakan nodded and walked over to the table, pulling the extra Cyrodisc from it and handing it to Danny.

"Hide it somewhere if there's an emergency and here," Hakan spoke and floated towards a window that had a view the Ghost Zone. "See over there?" Hakan pointed to a mountain range floating far behind Clockwork's tower. "Beyond those mountains, there is a valley that houses a beautiful waterfall and many trees. My home is there. Go there when you want to learn more about your fire."

Danny smiled and nodded. "I'd love to see your home. You're a good teacher Hakan. I like meeting the nicer ghosts here, like Clockwork, Frostbite and some of the others."

Hakan barked out a laugh. "I should've known Frostbite was the one to teach you those ice powers. It turns out our lives before this spiritual place weren't too different you know? We were both chieftains where we came from… but that's a story for another time. Piuraa, my friend."

Danny seemed confused.

"Goodbye." Hakan laughed and took another breath of smoke. He eyed Danny again and offered the pipe to the young man. "As my friend, would you like a breath?"

Danny laughed nervously. "I appreciate it, really, but I could get in trouble with my parents if I did that. The time I live in isn't so lenient with that sort of thing. I hope you understand." Danny finished with a sad look and worried look on his face. Hakan nodded.

"I understand child, now go. We will meet again soon."

Danny smiled and floated into the air. "Thanks and see you soon! Tell Clockwork I said bye!" Danny then shot out of the tower and floated off into the Ghost Zone.

Hakan coughed as Clockwork floated up beside him from the shadows he'd been hiding in.

"I now understand your interest in him, friend."

Clockwork laughed as he changed into his middle-aged form from his child-form.

"Indeed, he's a good boy. Believe it or not, sometimes we need a little disturbance to set the balance right again."

Hakan rose a brow. "Oh, is that so?" Clockwork laughed. "I believe you Father Time, after all… you see all," Hakan murmured.

"Yes, yes I do," Clockwork answered as he floated out of the room; a sad and uncomfortable look was on his face, which no one saw. Hakan continued to look out of the window Danny had left from, smoking his pipe with a contemplative look on his face.

zzz

Danny poked his head through the Ghost Portal carefully, looking to see if his parents had come home early. When he saw no one, he floated in and transformed before running over and closing the portal. He let out a breath and smiled as he walked up the stairs to the den. Everything was as they'd left it. He nodded and walked over to the stairs, kickings off his shoes and making his way to his room. He traipsed over to his desk and sat at his chair lazily. Danny looked at the clock and saw it was about two forty, so Sam, Tucker, and Jazz would be there shortly to check on him in an hour or so. He saw his Chemistry book open and some problems half finished next to it. He grumbled and pulled out a pencil.

"Might as well get it done while I have the chance-" A wisp of blue mist escaped his mouth as he said those words.

"I Technus, Master of all things Technological, shall infest your cities' computers with my powers and-"

Danny banged his head against his desk before the familiar white rings enveloped him.

"Hopefully I can get this over with soon," Danny muttered and flew through his bedroom wall intangibly after grabbing up a spare Fenton Thermos from his desk. Immediately he spotted Technus floating before him.

"Technus, I thought we talked about this," Danny sighed.

Technus frowned. "I did it again? Didn't I?"

"Yeah." Danny nodded.

"This bites!" Technus growled and then grinned. "You get it? bites? Nanobytes?"

Danny facepalmed, "Close but-" Danny spoke and then uncapped the thermos for it to start sucking in Technus, who wailed a bit in defeat. Technus disappeared into the thermos and Danny snapped the lid on. "-no cigar!" He nodded and then looked around to make sure no one saw Danny Phantom enter the Fenton's home. He transformed and settled back into his desk chair. He then went back to working on his homework and successfully finished a few problems before he got stumped on a question. He scratched his scalp and bit his pencil a bit before sighing and looking at the thermos. He grabbed it up and spoke.

"Hey Technus, you there?"

"I'm not speaking to you."

Danny rolled his eyes. "Fine I guess you don't know basic Chemistry then…"

"I beg your pardon! I'll have you know that wrote several large textbooks on the subject in my time!"

"Writing one's thing, but can you solve the questions?" Danny huffed.

"Of course!"

"Prove it!"

"Very well!"

"A 6.0 L sample at 25 °C and 2.00 atm of pressure contains 0.5 moles of a gas. If an additional 0.25 moles of gas at the same pressure and temperature are added, what is the final total volume of the gas?" Danny questioned.

"Bah! That's the best you can throw at me? For this example, V i = 6.0 L and n i = 0.5 moles. When 0.25 moles are added, n f = n i + 0.25 moles, n f = 0.5 moles = 0.25 moles, and n f = 0.75 moles. The only variable remaining is the final volume. So-"

"I got it!" Danny exclaimed and continued to finish the problem. "The answer would be nine liters. Thanks, Technus!"

Technus fumbled, "Excuuuuuse me!? Did you just use me!?"

"Well sorta. I figured it out on my own though after you gave me the hint I needed for the first half." Danny shrugged even though Technus couldn't see it.

"Darn it," Technus grumbled.

"Hey, at least now I'm… done! I can send you back to the Ghost Zone before my parents come home and find you. That would end messily, probably for both of us," Danny muttered and grabbed the thermos from his desk after snapping his textbook shut.

"Hmm… I suppose so. I've got to say Ghost Child, you play a dangerous game," Technus spoke.

"You're telling me," Danny grunted and ran down the stairs and then went towards the lab.

He got into the lab and clicked the thermos into the slot. "Remember to at least try and cut back on the monologuing or you'll just keep embarrassing yourself more and more."

"I can't believe I'm receiving your pity. How revolting." Technus grumbled.

"Whatever. See ya later, I'm sure," Danny replied and clicked the button. He heard a flush and Technus called out one more time.

"I will take over the world one day, Ghost Child! And there will be nothing you can do about iiiiitttt!"

Danny took out the thermos and chuckled. "Reverse psychology on ghosts. Gotta thank Jazz for that idea later."

Danny spun on his heal and made his way back up to his room and sat down to get onto his computer. He reached to the back of the monitor and pressed a special button Tucker had installed there for him. As soon as he did this, a usually invisible folder popped up. Danny clicked on it and typed in a password to open it. His documents on all things ghost related then appeared before him and he started to sift through it. Team Phantom had decided that a normal password protected folder would be suspicious if Danny's parents ever snooped on his computer as some would think Danny was hiding other things rather than info on Ghosts. Keeping a paper trail was decided against also, so Tucker had come up with this idea so that the info was kept as safe as possible. Tucker had installed the folder's own memory bank into the back of the monitor as well, so the government or other hackers wouldn't find it, especially the GiW. Inside there were several sub folders:

-Danny

-Danielle

-Vlad

-Friends

-Enemies

-Neutrals and other

-Artifacts

-Lore and History

-Other Timelines

Danny's eyes locked onto the one labeled Danny and double clicked on the folder. He opened a document that listed his abilities and powers. Scrolling to a certain place, he typed up as much as he knew about his new Pyrokinesis. Once done there, Danny backed up and went to the Friends folder and made a new document and labeled it: Hakan. Danny cracked his knuckles and started to type.

Name: Hakan

Home or Lair: Unexplored

Abilities Known: Master of Pyrokinesis

Danny went on like this for a bit before finishing his work and backing out of the main Folder. He then reached back and pushed the monitor's button again. He sighed contently, feeling accomplished for getting everything on his plate done. He then heard the front door open downstairs.

"Hey! Danny, you there!? It's us, Sam, Tucker and me!"

Danny smiled and turned intangible before floating through the floor and finding them. He landed neatly on the ground.

"Hey guys." Danny smiled.

"So?" Jazz asked with a smile.

Danny noticed the strained looks on Sam and Tucker, but turned to answer Jazz's question first.

"I've had… an interesting day." Danny shrugged and motioned for them all to sit on the couch with him. He then retold his story about learning to control his fire powers.

zzz

"I even finished my Chemistry homework." Danny sighed, "I wish more days could be like this."

Jazz smiled brightly at the rare relaxed smile on her brother's face before he and she both noticed Sam and Tucker's anxious shared glance.

Danny's relaxed smile turned into a worried frown. "What is it." It was more of a fact rather than a question.

Tucker sighed and then began, "First off me and Sam, adverse to you, had a looooong day-"

"Tucker, that's not important," Sam grumbled.

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Anyways," Tucker continued and gave Danny a serious look, "Valerie asked us directly today what was the connection between Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom."

Danny and Jazz's eyes opened wide.

"What did you tell her?" Jazz asked, her voice rising a little due to her worry.

"We said that your parents don't let you help Phantom like… we apparently do." Sam winced. "And that was that. Point is, I think she's catching onto us if she hasn't already figured it out."

Danny started fidgeting his hands. "Well damn it."

"Danny," Jazz hissed slightly at her brother cursing and then shook her head, "Never mind. I guess that's somewhat justified."

"Oh I think it justifies a-" Sam started and Tucker raised his hand.

"Don't finish that sentence, Sam," Tucker sighed. Sam crossed her arms and looked back at Danny.

"Regardless, what should we do?"

Danny was staring at the ground for a bit, seemingly not hearing his friends or sister.

"Dude?" Tucker pressed.

"Danny?" Jazz spoke and placed a hand on his shoulder. Danny looked up at all of them.

"I guess the only thing we can do, I need to go talk to her as Phantom. Either I can make her doubt any conclusions she may have drawn or I come clean if I feel the need." Danny sighed.

"Danny are you sure?" Jazz asked nervously.

"Danny are you nuts!?" Sam shouted and stood up, "This girl has been trying to kill you! Kill you! Do you really think she'll accept you that quick!? We shouldn't rush into this!"

Danny frowned, "Sam, she accepted Dani for the most part and I'm already dead, sort of."

Sam's face grew more frustrated, "Danny you know good and well what I mean and how do you know she'll do the same for you? She's had a grudge on you for about two years almost. She didn't even have a deep-seated reason to hate Dani. Remember? She's shoot first ask questions, never!"

Danny stood up and surprised Sam by reminding her that he was finally a bit taller than her.

"I know that! You think I don't know that!? I just want to see if she-" A pained look entered Danny's eyes. "Maybe you're right. Maybe… I just want people to not hate me."

Sam's aggression immediately melted at the slight desperation in his voice. She could only really imagine how hard this was for him. She had always felt like she was the one no one could ever understand or accept before Danny's accident, but that had been untrue for longer than that if she was honest with herself. When she met Danny and Tucker, they accepted and understood her like no one else could. Danny had a different kind of existential crisis to deal with than her.

"Danny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get so mad. I just worry about you. I don't want you to get hurt."

Danny sighed. "I already get hurt Sam. I-"

"I meant here, Danny." She explained and poked him in the chest, near the place his heart was.

"Ugh… You guys are so killing me here!"

Danny and Sam turned to look at Tucker, breaking the intense eye contact they had shared for a moment. Tucker was glaring at them and tapping his foot.

"Can't you two just freaking kiss! Hell, I'd even sit here and watch you make out if you two would just get togeth-OUCH!" Tucker yelped when he found Sam's steel-toed boot slammed against his shin. He immediately grabbed the hurt area.

"Shut-up Tucker!" Sam growled.

Danny was growling at his friend and whipped his head around when his sensitive hearing told him Jazz was snickering.

"What?" Danny asked, suspicion in his voice.

Jazz straightened up. "Hm? You talking about me? Oh nothing, nothing."

Danny grumbled something under his breath as a blush formed on his cheeks. He turned back to Sam and Tucker.

"So?" Sam asked, "Have we even decided on anything?"

Danny shrugged. "I don't know."

"I think you should talk to her. If she's feeling guilty, then maybe she's in the best mood to actually be accepting, psychologically speaking of course," Jazz expressed.

"Feels a little under-handed," Danny murmured.

"You and your dang hero-complex," Tucker spoke and rolled his eyes.

Danny groaned slightly in return, "Fine. I'll talk to her as Phantom as soon as the opportunity arises."

Everyone looked at each other hesitantly but with resolve. After a bit more casual talking, Sam and Tucker got up and left for home. Danny and Jazz walked into the kitchen to fix a little snack when they heard their parents arrive home.

"Danny-boy!? Jazzy-pants!? Guess what I got to do today!" Jack's excited voice boomed from the den. He poked his head into the kitchen and found them there.

"What dad?" Jazz asked with a bit of annoyance.

"We saw a weird Techno ghost guy earlier, before he zoomed off, and I got to use the Ghost Gabber on him and it worked! We never figured out where the ghost went, but the point is the Gabber worked!" Jack said excitedly.

"That's great, dad," Danny replied passively but in a friendly manner. Even with the Valerie thing, he was still in a decent mood.

"That's great, dad. Fear me."

Maddie was now in the kitchen and everyone paused at the machine's voice.

"Darn it!" Jack grumbled, "I thought for sure I fixed that. I don't know why this thing keeps doing that to Danny."

Maddie walked forward and put a hand to Danny's forehead before he could protest, "Your fever seems to be gone. You almost kinda feel cold though."

Danny backed away slightly, "I uh, you know… had the thermostat way down before Jazz got home. That must be it!"

Maddie nodded and then smiled. "Well I'm certainly glad you're feeling better, sweetie."

Jack was still scratching his head in confusion and looking at the Ghost Gabber.

"I guess I need to rework this thing, again." Jack huffed and thudded away.

So with most everything settled down, the Fenton family had supper and the kids went to their rooms and the parents went to the lab.

zzz

Danny was sleeping soundly in his bed; a soft snore came from his mouth as he tossed the covers slightly and revealed one of his legs. He had abandoned his sweats and wore only his boxers with his tank. His eyes snapped open when a blue mist escaped his mouth.

"I wonder if she'll be there…" Danny murmured and transformed while still in bed. He glanced at his alarm and saw it was one o' clock. "She usually isn't for most night hunts." He went intangible and flew out of his covers which fell and trapped the heat he'd had. He then drifted into Jazz's room and nudged her shoulder.

"Danny? What is it?" She asked and rubbed her eyes after sitting up. Danny was floating over her bed.

"I was just… going to tell you I'm going out to hunt a ghost. Valerie might be there. I just thought you'd want to know," Danny answered.

Jazz nodded and then smiled. "Thanks Danny. I appreciate it. Be careful and see you later."

"Yeah, go back to sleep." Danny nodded and then vanished from her sight. She sighed and laid there for a moment before trying to fall back asleep.

zzz

Danny grumbled as he capped the thermos. It had only been the Box Ghost. Normally he'd be sorta thankful, kinda, but he always got annoyed when the Box Ghost was one to wake him from slumber. Danny glanced around and exhaled. No sign of Valerie. He started to turn around to disappear and fly home, when he heard the click and then the charge of a ghost weapon.

"Phantom."

Danny gulped slightly and turned slowly to lock eyes with the Red Huntress.

"Oh hey there, Valerie."

"That's the Red Huntress to you."

"Oh uh, sorry." Danny gulped. They stood there silently as Valerie continued to aim her bazooka at him.

"Well? Are you going to run?"

Danny flinched. "Uh. I was kinda thinking maybe you wanted to uh, talk? I mean that Sam girl and Tucker guy told me that you were wondering about me and that um, Fenton boy."

Valerie seemed a bit surprised and lowered her gun a bit. "You heard about that, huh?" Danny noticed the bazooka she was holding was starting to wobble slightly.

"Valerie?" Danny asked. "Val?"

Valerie froze at that shortened version of her name, like the ghost was more familiar with her then he technically should be. She slowly looked up and locked eyes with him. "Danny?" She whispered. "Danny… Fenton?" She whimpered more clearly. She saw a sorrowful look cross Danny's face before a resolved half-smile came.

"Yeah?"

"No." Valerie murmured and let the bazooka hang limply at her side, "How? This… this can't be happening. It's a dream or a nightmare, but this just doesn't make sense."

Danny frowned and then motioned to her. "Come on. Let's find a place to talk about it, okay?"

Valerie surprised him by giving him a slightly suspicious look.

Danny waved his hands frantically in front of him and kept them raised as he spoke, "I promise I'm not doing anything funny. Just trust me once, really trust me, okay Valerie?"

Valerie's face fell a bit and she put her weapon away. "Okay. Lead the way spo- I mean, Danny."

Danny nodded and flew towards Amity Park, Valerie trailing behind.

zzz

Sam was laying in her bed, staring at the ceiling. She'd been that way for at least an hour or two. After enjoying some video games and watching a movie she'd rented recently, she'd finally gone to bed… or well gotten in bed. Truth be told there were only two things that caused her to lay awake and stare at the ceiling like this. The first was her poetry. Sometimes the inspiration refused to come some nights. The second, the one she was thinking of now and wishing it didn't cause her such conflict was, Danny.

She kept wondering what would happen if Valerie did accept Danny. Don't get her wrong, she would be horribly upset if Valerie dared to say one hateful thing to Danny once she knew who and what he was, but at the same time…

_I'm afraid._

She could remember the discomfort, jealousy, and confusion rise in her from seeing him walk with Valerie and talk with her when they were technically dating before. Valerie had really been the first other than Sam to appreciate Danny Fenton for who he was. Now though she couldn't help but notice how a few girls would look at him when he walked through the halls with her and Tucker. Even Tucker was getting a little attention too, wether he realized it or not. As for her, she thought so but then again she was never really bothering to notice. Some who'd also matured in their later years of high school and started to look past trying to fit in, would also bother to notice the things about Danny that had drawn Sam to him when they first become friends. His kindness, his laugh, his dedication… Sam grit her teeth.

_Manson, you aren't supposed to think that way. Fawning over some guy would be silly. Just because you like him, doesn't mean you need to think about him any differently than before._

She groaned in frustration. It was difficult not knowing how to handle her emotions and their relationship; however, it had been two years since she'd first started to feel more deeply about Danny so she at least had practice keeping calm and not showing many hints of her feelings. It also helped that Danny was somewhat clueless. To make things even more complicated, it was only within the most recent months that she'd finally admitted to herself that she really liked him more than a friend and wanted to try and maybe date him, but she didn't know if he'd ever feel the same and even the idea of accidentally ruining their friendship because of her selfishness, unthinkable. She sighed in defeat and tried to close her eyes to sleep.

_As long as we can be friends, I'll be okay._

zzz

"I didn't want to believe it. I still don't want to believe it," Valerie murmured.

She and Danny were sitting under a large tree in the park. She'd taken off her suit and Danny was still sitting as Phantom.

"How'd you piece it together?" Danny asked. He noticed a small glance she gave him, when she thought he hadn't seen.

Valerie frowned, "I saw Dani change forms. You had told me that Dani was partly human. After we helped Dani escape, I went back for Mr. Masters and saw him transform into that other ghost. You had also said Dani was your cousin-"

"There's got to be something else-" Danny added.

"I had a dream. I-" Valerie seemed to choke on her words.

"It's okay Valerie. I'll understand." He was getting the feeling it wasn't a pleasant dream.

She gulped and continued, "I finally got Phantom, shot him in the back and he fell. He hit pretty hard and suddenly before I could get closer, a bright flash blinded me and…"

"And?"

"And Danny Fenton was bleeding on the ground instead," Valerie finished, "I was horrified."

Danny nodded. He kept noticing her glancing at him with slight suspicion in her eyes. Perhaps to most it would be well hidden, but Danny could feel small pinpricks of animosity coming off of her.

Valerie looked over at him, "So…"

"Yeah. I won't lie this time. Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom. It's just a name. Phantom doesn't exist."

Her voice shook, "Could you?"

Danny nodded as a ring of white light appeared, split about his waist, and traveled up and down his body turning him into Fenton. He blushed when he realized he was still in his boxers.

"Ah Damn it."

Valerie couldn't help but laugh. "I guess any worries I had of Phantom overshadowing you or something were just extinguished. That's a Fenton move, definitely."

Danny chuckled a bit and changed back into Phantom to be more decently clothed. Valerie had on her school clothes still for some reason, though she lacked her shoes, yellow headband and her jewelry she normally wore.

"Uh by the way, why are you in your day clothes?" Danny asked and then blushed, "Not that I was uh-"

Valerie sighed. "I left school today the moment the pieces fell together. I told my dad later I had had felt sick and kinda fell asleep on my bed in my clothes until my ghost alert told me a ghost was nearby."

"Oh Valerie. You don't have to feel so guilty. I mean it is my fault I didn't tell you."

Valerie shook her head, "Before I argue about my innocence or lack there of in the matter, let's start at the beginning. If that's okay?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah. I owe it to you."

Valerie asked her first question, "Okay. How?"

"My lab accident. My body was infused with ecto-energy the moment I was zapped by the portal. I was inside it, not just near it. It technically half killed me. I'm a Halfa, half human and half ghost, caught in limbo of sorts. I still need food, oxygen, most of the time, showers, and pretty much everything a normal human needs. My heart rate and temperature is lower and slower than normal but higher than full ghosts. I'm super strong and super fast as well. Then of course I have various ghostly abilities, if that isn't obvious, and ghostly tendencies like having my own obsessions and being able to sense emotion to some degree."

Valerie nodded and tried to digest the new info before looking back up, "Okay, why did you let that dog-"

"Cujo." Valerie gave him a slight glare which put Danny on edge. Danny frowned in irritation. "Cujo was a watch dog at the Axion Labs. When guard dogs were no longer needed they were put down. Cujo just wanted his squeaky toy. I was still learning how to use my powers and well I couldn't easily stop him then. It was an accident, I swear."

Valerie sighed. "Just like you'd said."

Danny nodded. He flinched when she suddenly stood up and glared at him. He frowned in anger, already figuring where this was going.

"How the heck do I know this isn't just some big trick!? You're evil! You've done a bunch of bad things and Phantom and Fenton are like two completely different people!" She growled and clenched her fists. "Do you realize how foolish I feel!? You could've told me!"

Danny could tell she was flip-flopping between betrayal, suspicion, and frustration. He stood up to face her, knowing he was angry at her too.

"Excuse me for not wanting to be seen as some kind of inhuman, unfeeling thing! You know Valerie, you kept thinking how bad your lovely life had gotten, but think about this, what if you were afraid of almost everyone you knew? What if, you were constantly wondering if you were going to be discovered and picked and prodded at? I kinda didn't like the idea of some whack job group of scientists, picking me apart or heaven forbid my own parents! I need people to trust me Valerie! I NEED that, otherwise if someone starts to pick me apart and I turn into a human, then they'll just keep picking. You believed in Dani's humanity when I told you she was half human, please believe in mine."

Valerie faltered for a moment, most of her anger dissipating, but Valerie being Valerie, hung onto her doubts to the bitter end.

"But Dani never did half of the evil things you have!" Valerie growled and got closer to his face.

Danny was much calmer now and didn't flinch at her closeness. He spoke evenly and confidently. "Give me your reasons for doubting me and I'll tell you why you're wrong."

Valerie put her hands to her sides. "You stole all that money and merchandise from those stores, banks and museums."

"The Circus Gothica was in Town. You remember Freakshow, the guy that was arrested for the possession of said stolen goods? He had this staff with a crystal orb that controlled ghosts."

Valerie flinched and seemed to give Danny a sympathetic look. "You mean you-"

"It was completely against my will. I swear I was trying to fight it, but-"

Valerie interrupted him, her eyebrows furrowing, "And the mayor, the one before-" She growled out Vlad's name. "Vlad?"

"There's this ghost named Walker. He's like a corrupt sherif that inhabits the Ghost Zone and he has it out for me. Because I escaped his prison, since he locked me up for crimes that were unjust, he decided to make my prison 'the town I live in' so he overshadowed the mayor, put me in a headlock I couldn't escape from, and framed me."

"And Vlad Masters? What has he been-"

"He's been trying in every way possible to make things harder for me."

Valerie finally seemed to be calming down again. She took some deep breathes and then closed her eyes before leaning against the tree. Both teens sat in silence for a moment before Valerie broke the quiet with yet another question that was slightly off topic.

"Who's Dani, Fenton? I know you don't have a cousin like her." She looked up after Danny didn't respond immediately. He had pulled his legs up and was floating with them crossed under him; he was staring at nothing in the distance. Quite suddenly, he looked right into her eyes and she felt like he was staring into her soul.

"If I tell you, will you promise not to think any less of her? Will you promise not to cause her harm in any way, even if you decide to turn me into the GiW-"

Valerie opened her mouth to speak but Danny silenced her by raising his hand.

"-will you promise to not mention her even in passing?"

Valerie sighed. "I'm not going to turn you into those nuts, Danny, and I promise."

Danny watched her for a moment before taking a deep breathe. "She's my clone."

"Oh dear God, how-who?"

"Vlad."

Valerie shook her head and then clenched her fists. "He's… he's the most-"

"Seriously crazed up fruit-loop you've ever met?"

Valerie looked at Danny's smirking face and laughed a bit. "Yeah I guess that's the best description of him." She glanced down at her feet and they both lapsed into silence yet again.

Finally after a few minutes she spoke, "How do you do it?"

Danny flinched. "Huh?"

"How have you been dealing with this? All of this? All of us?"

Danny chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Well I think I would've lost my head a long time ago if not for Sam and Tucker. They're the best friends I could ever ask for, scratch that, that anyone could ever ask for."

Valerie smiled. "I get it."

Danny nodded.

Valerie took a deep breath. "I believe you Danny."

Danny paused in his floating and hovered, still, in midair. "You mean that?"

Valerie thought for a moment to make sure she was certain. She glanced at Danny and looked over his face. She could see it now, plain as day. Danny's face was there, behind the white hair and green eyes. Event though Phantom behaved a bit differently at times, she could see more clearly now how both Dannys were alike. She herself put on a bit of a mask to hide the connection between Valerie and the Red Huntress. How in the world had no one ever figured it out for so long?

"Yeah I do mean it."

"…That means a lot to me, Val. Thanks."

Once more a pause in the conversation came, though it was much more brief.

"Now what?" Valerie asked.

"Now what, what?"

"Where do we go from here?" Valerie replied. "I mean I've been trying to waste you for a couple years now. God! How could I've been so stupid!"

"Sometimes, people can be misguided. We can all be guilty of ignorance, even though it's something so easily remedied."

"You sound like your sister or something."

"Well she's actually not too bad once you realize she has her moments."

"She knows too huh?"

"Yeah that helps too."

Valerie gulped. "Danny? Is there anything I could do?" He looked up at her. "You know, to help? It's the least I can do."

Danny smiled. "For now, I think it's best we try to act normal. Vlad still thinks you work for him. He might start messing with your life if he figures out you know about me and especially since you know about him."

Valerie's face turned determined. "I'm not afraid. I already lost almost everything without his help, no offense."

"None taken."

"-So he doesn't scare me."

Danny frowned, "That doesn't matter. You don't have anything for him, so he could waste you without anyone knowing he did it. He wants me as his creepy perfect son and mom as… I won't say, but you? He just wanted you as a pawn to make my life a bit harder."

Valerie grit her teeth. "A pawn, huh? Sam and Tucker help you. Vlad could waste them at any time."

Danny sighed. "I wish they wouldn't but they're too stubborn. I don't want anymore people to put themselves at risk for me. It's not just Vlad either."

Valerie shook her head, "All this time, you really were the hero almost everyone was thinking you were, except me and your parents."

"Yeah."

"That's just flat out depressing." Valerie frowned.

"Welcome to my life or uh half life." Danny smiled lamely.

"I'm helping."

"Huh?"

"I have my suit. It's only mine and not Vlad's. It's attached to my body and not his. I'm going to start helping you. Slowly, but I will. Vlad will just have to get over it. I can't sit on the sidelines and watch you fight so hard for everybody and not have more help!"

Danny was frowning and then smiled. "Okay. Obviously you're going to be just as stubborn as Sam and Tuck."

"You better believe it."

"It'll take some time, but we'll catch you up on things."

Danny stood up and helped her up as well. She glanced at him.

"I can't believe I dumped you to hunt you."

"Irony's funny, huh?"

She sighed. "That's aright though. You're a great guy Danny, really. And honestly, I think you belong to someone else. I was always kinda suspicious that you did."

Danny cocked his head and a blush formed on his cheeks. "Uh, what what do you mean by that?" He asked and his eyes flicked from left to right and back to her nervously.

Valerie shook her head, "I've seen you two grow closer and closer these last couple months."

"Who are you-?"

"Tell Sam how you feel, Danny."

"What!? Sam?!" Danny's face turned a shade redder.

Valerie sighed. "Take a girl's advice. She likes you just as much as you like her."

Danny froze and he gulped slightly before looking away. "What If she-"

"She won't," Valerie answered.

Danny smiled at her. "I'll… I'll think about it."

Valerie nodded and gave a smile. Danny smiled back and started to float away.

"Danny?" Danny turned and looked down at Valerie again. "Thank you, for everything."

Danny's face went from happy to ecstatic. "Thanks."

She shook her head. "See you at school tomorrow then."

"Yeah you too, Huntress." Danny smirked and then gave a wave and shot off.

Valerie waved a bit after he was gone and then looked at her hands. She finally clutched them. "I will help them. I won't forgive myself otherwise. Finally I know what team I should've been on."

She looked back up into the night sky before transforming into the Red Huntress and flying towards home.

* * *

**After D-Stabilized I always felt like Valerie would catch on pretty quick. Danny took a big risk telling Valerie that Dani, who looks so much like Danny, was half human. Of course he was more concerned about Dani's safety at the time, so it was a trade of sorts. My very first draft of their talk (before it ever saw FFN) didn't have Valerie getting angry or irritated as much, but then I realized that it lacked Valerie's 'passion'. When people like her are proven wrong and they've actually been doing something they would have thought under normal circumstances was wrong or immoral, they tend to try and justify their actions, get angry, or enter denial of some form. I also believe that it wouldn't take too long for her to forgive Danny and herself and move on, seeing as she was on semi-decent terms with Danny Phantom at the end of D-stablized. Overall I hope I did a decent job of it.**

* * *

**Final Note: When Tucker said ten points above normal, he was comparing ten points for a half ghost to a human. Someone with a normal temperature of 98 would die if they went to 110 degrees. Danny went from 89 to 101, which would be fatal if he wasn't a half ghost (which can handle temperature extremes a bit better than humans).**

* * *

**6/30/16: ****Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.**

**7/4/16: Little extra tweaking to better fit character personalities.**


	3. Hakan's Lair

**Edited: 7/9/16: Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts, past speech, or distant speaking unless indicated otherwise_

* * *

_"Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured." ~ Mark Twain_

zzz

"I can't believe it."

"Jazz."

"I mean I seriously… wow."

"Jazz come on, geez. It was going to happen sooner or later," Danny muttered and rubbed his chin out of self-consciousness.

"But awww… My little brother is getting so old now…" Jazz cooed.

Danny scowled and scratched his chin again and flinched. "Ouch. I guess I need to shave soon. That sounds weird to say."

"Don't worry Danny-boy! Shaving's a synch!" Jack suddenly bellowed as he wandered into the kitchen that early morning. Danny was attacking his omelet again when he and Jazz heard their father's voice.

"Oh uh, yeah. Thanks dad. I probably need to head to school soon though. Maybe you can show me later or tomorrow or never, whichever works for you," Danny replied nervously.

Jazz laughed and shook her head as Jack rummaged through the fridge.

"You don't think I can shave right?" Jack grunted.

"Well…" Danny replied nervously.

"You see this?" Jack spoke and pulled his head out of the fridge and gestured to his chin, "A Fenton knows how to keep himself clean cut and smooth like a baby's bottom!"

Danny facepalmed.

"And you'll join that tradition of success, son!"

Danny sighed and gave a half smile. "Sure dad."

"Thata boy." Jack grinned, "Danny get off to school! Jazz you have a good time at the library again! Me and your mother's in the lab today. Have a good one!" Jack fished out the plate of fudge he'd been searching for and left the kitchen.

Jazz giggled again.

"Oh be quiet," Danny muttered half jokingly. He then stood up and put his dishes in the sink. "I'm flying to Sam's house to meet her and Tucker. They wanted to walk with me today to talk about Valerie."

Jazz nodded and stood up, grabbing her keys. "So she knows and she's joining the team eventually, right?"

"Seems that way. See ya later." Danny pulled his red sweatshirt from the back of his chair and put it on. It had just turned October that day and with the new month had come a cold front. While most were putting on heavy coats, Danny was in a thin sweatshirt. He waved and threw his backpack over his shoulder before going through the front door.

"You too, little brother."

As soon as Danny got a couple blocks away, he slipped into an alleyway and transformed. He turned invisible with his backpack and shot off towards Sam's house. Once he arrived, he returned to his human form. He walked out to the front door with his backpack over one shoulder and rung the bell when he saw Tucker wasn't there yet.

Pamela Manson answered the door. She frowned as soon as she saw him, but turned after walking inside a bit and shouted, "Samanthaaaaaa! Your acquaintance, the Fenton boy, is here!"

Danny had to repress a chuckle when Sam shouted back from her room upstairs.

"Mother! It's Sam not Samantha and his name is Danny! DAN-NY!"

"Whatever darling." Pamela sighed and gave Danny one last glare before turning and disappearing inside the house. Danny grumbled slightly and scratched the back of his head in nervousness. A few minutes later he could hear Sam thumping down the stairs. She came to the door and Danny smiled.

"Morning," Danny greeted.

"Morning, is Tucker here yet?" Sam asked and put her spider backpack on her back and shut the door behind her.

"Right here, dudes!" Tucker grinned and jogged the rest of the way to catch up to them. The three then turned and started their walk to school.

"So Valerie knows now, huh?" Tucker asked and addressed the topic of the day, first.

"Yeah. She wants to help us. I tried to warn her against it-"

"Like you did us?" Sam asked and cocked her eyebrow.

"Yeah yeah, like you guys. Anyways she said she's going to slowly join us, so Vlad or anyone else doesn't get too suspicious." Danny expressed.

"I guess…" Sam replied.

Danny looked over at her in worry. Because he was looking at her and they were talking about Valerie, he was suddenly reminded of what Valerie had said to him the night before. He quickly averted his eyes towards his feet and suddenly found his shoes to be very interesting.

Tucker watched his friend and noticed Danny act nervous for seemingly no reason; however, the techno-geek had seen that particular behavior from Danny a few times in the past. Tucker had talked to both Danny and Sam separately about their growing feelings for each other and unfortunately had been sworn to secrecy by both of them. It was getting more and more painful and frustrating to watch them dance around each other and many times Tucker had been tempted to blurt everything out for both of their benefits, consequences be damned. More recently he'd started to develop some ways to possibly force them together to talk, but had been a bit to scared to attempt some of those plans. He had sworn to himself that he would help get Danny and Sam together, since he wanted to see his two best friends happy. He would figure something out, eventually. He snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Sam and Danny staring at him with disturbed looks on their faces.

"What!?" Tucker questioned.

"You seriously had a creepy look on your face," Sam muttered.

Danny laughed.

"I was just thinking about something, that's all…" Tucker chuckled.

"Weirdo," Sam grumbled.

"Hey, I resent that!"

The trio made their way to school and walked up the steps of Casper High with some of the early students, which was weird and quite the rarity.

"Huh, it's-" Danny started before Sam clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't jinx it. Don't say a word Danny. No one mention anything about what's weird here, okay?" Sam spoke.

Tucker nodded, not wanting to renew in his title of Bad Luck Tuck anytime soon. Danny nodded slowly.

"Mmmph?"

"Oh right, sorry," Sam blushed and pulled her hand away. She then mumbled, "You have stubble."

Danny chuckled nervously, "Yeah I uh… It's new, huh? Guess even I had to grow some at some point."

"Ah man. I still only have some peach fuzz still, but you'll see! It'll come and it'll be magnificent," Tucker boasted as the trio reached their lockers.

Sam closed her hand and dropped it as she got to her locker. For some odd reason she couldn't stop thinking about the feel of his stubble underneath her fingers.

"Valerie?"

"I'll see ya later Star. I needed to talk with Danny, Sam, and Tucker."

Danny glanced over his shoulder with Sam and Tucker to see Star looking at Valerie and then them before shrugging. "Alright then, see ya. Later guys." Star waved briefly and walked off.

"Huh, she actually noticed we existed," Tucker mumbled.

Valerie walked up after hearing Tucker's words. "Star's actually not too bad. Not as bad as some of the others anyways."

"Morning," Sam said a bit awkwardly and Danny nodded and smiled.

Valerie smiled back. "Morning guys."

"Welcome to our happy and completely crazy little family I guess," Danny chuckled and shut his locker.

"Ah I knew it! We had to be brothers in another life time." Tucker grinned and clapped a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Destiny, Tuck. Destiny." Danny grinned back.

"You two are complete goofs." Sam sighed but couldn't hold back a short laugh.

"First period today is Lancer and English, right?" Valerie asked.

"Yep, we had an assignment for reading Hamlet, I think?" Tucker questioned as the four friends turned and started walking towards Lancer's classroom.

"Yep, still don't think I'll ever get used to Old English though. Even when ghosts speak it sometimes," Danny laughed.

"Hey, can't be any worse than Esperanto, hm?" Tucker pressed.

"Esperanto?" Valerie questioned.

"It's an artificial language from the 1800s. It's the only language one of our friendly ghost pals speaks, except some extremely broken english phrases. I learned it and taught Danny and Sam taught herself some so we could talk to our friend better when he pops up." Tucker explained.

"His name's Wulf," Danny nodded.

Valerie looked at the ground. "There are good ghosts?"

Danny sighed in exasperation.

"I meant other than you," Valerie mumbled in slight irritation.

"Yes, Valerie. We have allies in the Ghost Zone. Most non-malevolent ghosts don't wish to leave the Zone." Danny smiled and then seemed to remember something. He looked at Sam and Tucker.

"Oh! We need go see Hakan sometime. He invited me to see his Lair. I'd imagine you guys would be welcome. He kinda is a bit blunt about me being caught in limbo and being not 'natural' but he's still pretty neat and of course he's a pretty great teacher for Pyrokinesis." Danny grinned.

"Wait, whoa. Pyrokinesis?" Valerie asked, "Since when?"

"Remember Skulker the other day?" Danny asked.

"Wait that comet-like move you did?"

"I kinda didn't know what was happening at that point. I saw him aim at Sam and Tucker and I saw red… or well orange."

"Oh. So what exactly can you do?" Valerie asked.

"I'll tell you or show you some time." Danny nodded. Suddenly he slammed into a wall of person. "Uuf!-"

"Hey there, Fentonia."

"Uugh," Danny groaned in annoyance, "Hey Dash."

Valerie looked like she was going to have an embolism until Tucker placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head sadly. Another wave of harsh reality smothered her. He can't fight back or they would know.

"I have a test later today in Math."

"Yeah?"

"And I'm mad about it and I'll probably be mad afterwards too, so I thought about it and realized I had two big reasons to give you some trouble, hm?" Dash grinned mockingly.

"Good for you, Dash," Danny growled. His face adopted a look of brief shock when Dash slammed him into the lockers behind him. A small crowd started to form. Kwan and Paulina were among the people there, seeing as they had been talking to Dash before.

"Was that sarcasm, Fenton?" Dash hissed.

Danny frowned. "Wow, didn't know you knew that word, Dash. I'm actually impressed for once."

A chorus of Ooos echoed through the hall.

"Do you have a death-wish, Fentoad?" Dash growled.

Tucker had to slap his hands over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud at the irony.

"You have no idea, Dash." Danny shook his head. "Just get to it, will ya?" Danny didn't expect the punch he got to the gut. "Hunmph-" Danny wheezed mostly in surprise rather than pain like most would expect, but Dash and most everyone else didn't notice the difference.

"Watch yourself Fenton. I'm getting tired of you stepping out of bounds." Dash smirked.

"I'm so so sorry that I've finally grown too tall to fit conveniently into lockers anymore Dash, but you should blame puberty not me," Danny replied.

Dash frowned. "A swirly is always an option." A smirk returned to his face.

Danny didn't reply.

"Just drop Danny and let's go to Lancer's, Dash. God, don't you have something better to do with your life?" Sam growled. Dash whipped around and glared at Sam before looking back over at Danny sideways.

"Must stink having to have a girl stand up for you. I mean, what kind of man are you?" "HAHaaahhheee!" Dash suddenly screamed like a girl when Sam kicked him in the privates, as subtly as she possibly could.

"Not a stupid one to say something like that with Sam nearby?" Danny questioned and rose a brow. He then grimaced and looked at Sam. "Was that really necessary?"

"He brought it on himself," Sam shrugged and a few people started to snicker in the crowd.

"War and Peace! People, control yourselves!"

Everyone in the hallway turned and saw Mr. Lancer standing there with his hands on his hips.

"Uh…" Sam and Danny paused and glanced at each other nervously.

"All of you need to get to class! Those that should be in my room, come on!" Lancer spoke, turning slightly to lead his wayward students to class.

Dash tried to speak but was still having difficulties taking in air.

Lancer sighed. "No buts, Mr. Baxter."

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie walked away whistling and Dash, Kwan, and Paulina eventually followed, though Dash was limping and quite angry.

zzz

"So what does Yorick actually represent in Hamlet?" Lancer asked and turned back to look at his students from the board. Most of them were obviously tuning most of what he was saying out, with the exceptions of Sam, Mikey, and maybe Valerie. He glanced over and saw Danny looking out the window in what seemed to be thought.

"Your thoughts, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer droned and raised a brow at the look of surprise on Danny's face.

"Uh… huh?"

A few people snickered and this made Danny shift a bit in his seat.

"Yorick? What does he represent, Daniel?"

Danny looked into Lancer's eyes for a brief moment and something Lancer saw there seemed to surprise him, though he couldn't say what it was he saw. Danny turned to look back out the window.

"It's the moment that Hamlet realizes that death comes to us all. He looks death in the face and realizes he needs to do what he can while he has the chance. He also realizes that the things he chooses to do don't need to be about wealth or vanity, because he reflects on the idea that someone like Yorick and Alexander the Great both became bones and dust eventually no matter what they'd been in life."

Lancer blinked in surprise and then smiled and nodded, "Very good Mr. Fenton. Indeed-" He turned around and started writing on the board again, "Yorick is the turning point in the play as well. The moment Hamlet realizes death is very very common…"

Danny clutched his desk when a wisp of blue fled from his mouth. He raised his hand; Mr. Lancer was still talking and writing on the board and didn't notice. Danny waved it more dramatically and tried to lean a bit before he fell out into the space between rows of desks, making a clatter. Lancer whipped around as some people, namely the A-listers, started to laugh.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie were looking at Danny and Lancer frowned. "Tom Sawyer, Daniel. What on earth are you doing?"

"Uhh…" Danny blinked. "I… Can I go to the bathroom?"

Lancer sighed with impatience. "Go ahead, Mr. Fenton."

Danny leapt up and ran out of the door. Valerie glanced at Sam and Tucker and they shook their heads. She tightened her hand around her pencil and tried to relax.

zzz

Danny ran out of the classroom and glanced one way and then the other before running into the boy's restroom and locking himself in a stall. He transformed and then flew out of the building to look around. He barely had the chance to dodge some sort of liquid from striking him. He whipped around after ducking and saw the Ghost Snake he'd fought a few times before. It's hood was spread wide and it hissed before spitting what was most likely ghost snake venom of some sort at Danny. He shot to the side to avoid it again.

"Whoa, that's a new trick."

The snake then rose itself to his level by using more of it's body to stand higher off the ground.

"You're really like one of those spitting cobras. I better remember how far you can strike, huh?" Danny smirked and vanished before appearing behind the snake and blasting it with a few Ecto-blast shots. A few people on the streets next to the school, stopped to watch their hero fight the snake. A small time news-reporter, tasked with keeping up with his exploits until something happened different from the norm, got to the street with her camera man and started filming and narrating what was going on. Danny ignored them as he focused on freezing the snake's head solid. and then flew down to grab his tail. He started to swing the monster of a reptile and then released him into the sky.

"Ally-oop!" Danny grinned and shot into the air after the snake to punch the ice block, causing it to shatter. The snake seemed to be dropping to the earth limply, but the tip of its tail grabbed Danny's leg before it struck the ground. "Aah!" The tail fell and then slammed him into the earth beside the serpent. Danny recovered quickly and jumped back into a back-hand spring to dodge a open-mouthed lunge from the snake. He then shot several small blasts of Ecto-energy from his index fingers and the snake, wounded further, crashed to the ground on its belly. Danny whipped out the Fenton Thermos and spun it before uncapping it and sucking the unconscious snake inside. "Gotta be faster at the quick draw, pal."

A few cheers came from the small amount of people on the street and Danny waved and smiled modestly before disappearing and flying back towards the school. He landed in the restroom and in the same stall. He transformed, flushed and then washed his hands and ran back to class to catch the last few minutes of Lancer's lecture. His hair was a bit disheveled and he was pretty sure his elbow and knee was a bit bloody, but they had both started to scab up by the time he returned inside.

"So no Kwan, Hamlet and the Lion King, though they have some similarities, do NOT have the same exact story. There are some large differences if you know where to look," Lancer grumbled and then the bell rang. As everyone rose to leave, Lancer spoke up, "A want a two page paper on your reactions to Hamlet. Involve imagery, symbolism or themes in some way."

A few people groaned in annoyance, but everyone eventually left for second period. Lancer noticed Danny and his friends leave and took note that yet again, the young Fenton looked like he'd been mugged in the restroom. Lancer frowned. _Does he get ambushed by bullies from other classes?_ It seemed to be unlikely that someone was there every time he went to the bathroom. What was it about those three, Danny, Sam, and Tucker, and why in the world was Valerie acting so close to them and walking with them? Lancer had known that Daniel and Valerie had dated for a time, but this had seemed to happen over night. Finally, the teacher reflected on how Daniel had answered the question about Yorick. Daniel was always a puzzle to Lancer; though he did poorly on tests and homework, any discussion questions Daniel answered in class were almost always insightful.

It was their class's Senior year, after the school year ended, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie would be out of his reach. Lancer wanted to know, he wanted to understand, and he wanted to help.

If only he knew how.

zzz

The group's second and third period were normal if boring. They found each other at Lunch and went outside to sit at their bench.

"So what ghost was it, Danny?" Tucker asked as he bit into some of his sandwich.

"Oh, just the Ghost Snake. Did you guys know it can spit venom? It can totally do that now," Danny rambled and took a bite of his own sandwich.

Sam pulled out her lunchbox and started on an orange. Danny leaned over and took a bite out of her orange after placing a slice of his apple next to her lunch bag.

"What you need some Vitamin C?"

"Naw, just variety."

Tucker snuck a bit of ham out of Danny's sandwich while his friend was looking away, before Danny snatched one of the sausages in Tucker's bag by turning his hand intangible.

"Darn, thought I got you that time."

"I've got eyes in the back of my head, Tuck."

"What, you mess up duplication again?"

Sam started to laugh a bit at Tucker's actually decent jab and Danny laughed sarcastically. "Ha, ha, ha."

Valerie pulled her tray to it's position in front of her and shook her head at her friends' behaviors. It would take a while before she knew them like they knew each other.

"You need to add that snake venom thing to your files," Sam replied and then glanced at Valerie's tray of lunch food, "Uh, you sure you wanna eat that?"

Valerie blinked and then frowned in slight confusion. "It's what I always eat, why?"

Danny and Tucker glanced at each other and Danny sighed before telling a very interesting story about what was actually in the school refrigerators. By the end of it, Valerie looked as though she would be sick and slid the tray of 'food' away from her.

"I will never look at that stuff the same way again." She sighed. "Guess no Lunch for me today." She was shocked when after Danny, Sam, and Tucker glanced at each other, she found a half a sandwich, a pear, and a water bottle in front of her. Tucker, who always brought two sandwiches, gave her one of his halves since he'd already finished the first and started on the other half. Sam had offered a pear and Danny had a spare bottle of water on him. She glanced up at them all gratefully and also in confusion. "Just… just like that?"

Danny smiled. "Just like that." Sam and Tucker were smiling as well.

Valerie nodded. "Thanks." She noticed Sam glancing at Danny's elbow. Danny followed Valerie's gaze and saw Sam.

"What?" Danny asked his friend.

"You got injured from that snake," Sam grunted.

"Yeah his tail snagged me and sent me into the ground once," Danny answered.

"Is that all you got from it?" Sam asked.

"I think my knee's a bit scuffed up, but it's not really that big a deal. You know I've seen much worse," Danny replied. "What's the matter?"

"Love that's what," Tucker and Valerie answered at the same time and glanced at each other in surprise and then slight embarrassment. Danny and Sam's cheeks turned red.

"We aren't lovebirds!" They both shouted. They happened to glance at each other at that same moment and then they both hurriedly turned away. Danny seemed to realize they were mirroring each other like they did so often. His brow furrowed in thought and opened his mouth to say something to Sam, making Tucker lean a bit over the table in excitement…

Then a wisp of blue came from Danny's mouth.

"I am the Box Ghost! BEWARE!"

Everyone in the courtyard screamed and ran away except for Danny's group. Danny growled and looked around before Sam and Valerie gave him cover to transform. He shot into the air with a scowl on his face. The Box Ghost seemed spooked by the anger on Danny's face and shot off screaming with Danny on his tail.

Tucker growled after Danny was gone and threw his beret to the ground and shouted, "Of all the crummy luck!"

Sam raised her brow in confusion, not realizing what had maybe almost happened, while Valerie just shook her head.

zzz

A couple hours later, school was over for the day. Danny, Tucker, and Sam said goodbye to Valerie at school before taking their walk home. They promised to plan something fun for Saturday since tomorrow they were planning to visit Hakan in the Ghost Zone. They hoped to take Valerie and Jazz with them and let Danny train with the fire master.

Tucker was the first to say goodbye and turned down the block to his home. That left Danny and Sam walking towards her mansion.

There was an odd silence between the two friends as they walked. Danny took a glance over at Sam when she wasn't looking and looked her over. She was very pretty. Her hair was a lovely ebony that was probably really soft and her eyes seemed to always captivate him. He began to feel a bit flushed and glanced away, not wanting to get too interested in his thoughts on her appearance. She was such a loyal person, practical and determined. The thing though that he loved most about her was her strong sense of character and independence. How could he explain his feelings to her just suddenly? How? He was her friend and, by his track record so far, he was pretty certain he didn't know how to attract girls to him for long. In his mind, he stood no chance.

Sam glanced over and caught that Danny had just looked at her. She blushed faintly and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. She was curious what it would be like to be in a relationship with him. Looking at him now, she couldn't help but briefly toy with the idea of what it would be like to kiss him. She felt he probably had nice lips. Then of course, there was other things that she wondered about too. What would it be like for him to hold her, or something? She had a better idea than most seeing as his hazmat suit didn't leave much for the imagination. She cut herself off, trying to reel in her train of thought. She loathed herself for a moment, just because of how typical it all sounded. She wanted to know how it was to be held by him? What on earth was she thinking? She directed herself into safer territory and thought about the single thing that she valued most about Danny, his heart. She'd known early on that he had a very kind heart, especially since he'd become friends with and excepting of someone like her. It wasn't that Tucker wasn't the same in that respect, but Danny just had a part of him that wanted desperately to believe in the best of everyone. This was also one of the reasons she would never abandon him for being what he was and it was maybe that part of him that made him a hero in the first place. Anyone else might have come up with their own idea of justice with the power of ghost abilities at their disposal, but Danny, minus a few pranks and irresponsible moments, had never done that, unless you counted the timeline that never happened with Dark Danny. She wondered if, ultimately, he deserved better than her.

They finally reached Sam's mansion. The two were still quiet and then both tried to speak at the same time.

"Sam/Danny I-"

They both stalled a bit before glancing away or at the ground. Danny looked back up and opened his mouth.

"Sam?"

"Yes, Danny?" Sam asked quietly and with a bit of hope.

"I…" Danny suddenly felt his courage disappear. He swallowed dryly and took a shaking breath. "I'll see ya tomorrow." He felt like kicking himself when he saw her face fall a bit.

"Oh… oh okay, yeah. I guess I'll see you then." Sam smiled, even if it wasn't heartfelt. She disappeared into her home before Danny could even reply. He turned around and started walking towards his home, smacking himself in the head and cursing himself for his cowardice.

"Nice going Fenton. You let the girl you really like slip out of your grasp again."

Danny eventually got home and had a nice meal with his family, that for once didn't have ectoplasm in it or was trying to eat them. He told Jazz about their plans for tomorrow and did some homework before having to go out and hunt ghosts.

zzz

The next day at school wasn't near as good as the two previous for Danny. Because he'd had to battle ghosts until four in the morning, he'd not gotten enough sleep nor finished his homework for History or Math. Valerie had appeared around two o' clock in the morning to help with Klemper and Skulker. She'd left afterwards and so had Danny, thinking they were done, only for Johnny Thirteen to find Danny on the way back home and mess with him. The biker ghost had driven off after Danny had asked him to go back to the Zone. It had taken an extra hour to convince Johnny to go back to talk it out with Kitty and as said before, Danny had made it back to bed at four. After getting grief from his teachers and then being ambushed with Tucker by Dash and Kwan and two other jocks Tyson, a dark-skinned football player and Alroy, a red-headed green eyed boy, and given swirlies, Danny was in a grumpy mood. He was relieved to find himself walking towards his home, after school, at the beginning of a weekend, with his friends.

"I'm really excited to see what you guys think of Hakan. He's kinda wise like Clockwork," Danny spoke.

"So Clockwork is really a ghost that can control time?" Valerie asked.

"Yep, he's what everyone calls Father Time," Tucker replied as he typed something on his PDA.

"All this time, a ghost like that. I guess it really does mean a portion of ghosts-" Valerie started.

"Are good and just want to be left alone." Danny nodded, finishing her thought.

The conversation came to a close when the four friends reached FentonWorks. Danny pulled out his house key and let everyone inside.

"Hey mom, dad, Jazz! I'm home! I've got my friends with me!" Danny called out.

There was a crash from the lab and after a couple moments, Jack was at the top of the stairs to the lab, grinning.

"Hey there, Danny-boy! Sam, Tucker, and uh…"

"Valerie." Valerie nodded.

"Valerie! Jazzy-pants, you too!" Jack grinned.

The others noticed that Jazz had come down from her room and was standing next to them.

"This is great! Mads and I just completed a new invention! Now we've got some people to see it first hand," Jack bellowed and started pushing the whole group gleefully towards the lab steps.

"Uh uh dad? I don't know if they wanna see-" Danny started but his father interrupted him.

"Nonsense Danny-boy!" Jack smiled. "Who wouldn't want to see how they're being protected from ghost scum?"

Valerie saw Danny flinch at the term even if only subconsciously.

They finally found themselves in the lab. Maddie was holding something that looked like the Ghost Gloves.

"See everyone? The Ghost Gloves are really powerful, but seem to only be useful for punching and holding weaker ghosts, so we thought it would be a good idea to give them a bit of an upgrade! Now they can pull overshadowing ghosts right out of people and if used right they can rip a ghost right in two!" Jack blabbered.

Maddie gave a bright smile and pressed a button, making sharp claws extend from the gloves' ten finger tips. Sam was certain that Danny had stopped breathing. She could see Danny's face losing all color. Thank God for Jazz.

"Um, that's great mom, dad, but we need to go and study for something, so we'll have to learn more about it later!" Jazz said, trying to keep her voice from getting too high as she ushered everyone up the stairs, out of the lab, and upstairs again into her room, leaving her parents to look at each other in slight confusion before shrugging and returning to their work.

In Jazz's room everyone was trying to get Danny to breathe again.

"It's okay Danny. It's just another weapon," Jazz soothed.

"Yeah dude, just relax and breathe! You need oxygen eventually," Tucker pressed. Danny could hold his breath much longer than normal humans. Because at least half of the material in his blood was ectoplasm, he didn't need as much oxygen to run his body's systems; his ectoplasm did the rest. He could hold his breath and speak underwater for long periods of time because of this as well.

Sam frowned and slapped Danny's back, forcing him into inhaling a large gulp of air. The color flushed back into his cheeks and he started breathing rapidly. His eyes seemed to snap from their glazed look and his pupils went from greatly dilated to normal. He leapt to his feet from his sitting position on Jazz's bed, surprising everyone.

"It's not just some other weapon, Jazz! And I can't relax, Tuck! That thing, that weapon, it's what helped create Him!" Danny growled out angrily, but everyone in the room knew it was to hide the pure terror inside him at that moment.

Valerie watched in obvious confusion, but was worried that her friend was upset.

"Danny, notice the difference though? You told us Vlad was supposed to be the one to have that weapon, not your parents," Sam replied and grabbed his wrists to make him pay more attention to her. She needed to give him contact so he could at least start to calm down.

"What's to say Vlad won't steal it though!? Or worse- what if- what if my parents- on accident- or even on- purpose-" Jazz saw Danny visibly gag once and clap a hand over his mouth.

"Sam take him to the bathroom, he's over exciting himself. This anxiety is going to make him sick," Jazz spoke and helped her direct Danny to the restroom. Tucker and Valerie heard a gag and then a sign that Danny had puked once. Jazz came back into the room and sighed.

Valerie turned to Tucker, "Does he act like this every time his parents make a new weapon? I mean I understand his obvious anxiety, but… surely he can't be living like this in constant fear like that."

Tucker shook his head, "No. Most of the time, Danny tries to laugh about most of the inventions his parents make. He takes note of what they're making and such and usually can exploit a flaw or two from anything they have." Tucker's face grew dark. "It's just that particular weapon with claws coming out of it is linked to a particular fear of Danny's."

"Oh, what's that?" Valerie asked.

Tucker shook his head. "This particular one, Danny hasn't even told us all the details. He hasn't said he hasn't told, but we know he hasn't. For now just know it has something to do with Clockwork."

Valerie nodded and remained silent. Danny eventually came back in with Sam helping him; she had her arm around his back and her hand touching his waist as a comfort and even Tucker didn't tease her for it for now.

"Sorry guys… I didn't mean to flip out like that," Danny mumbled.

"No worries, dude. I mean I hate the H word I certainly would be afraid of something tearing into me." Tucker nodded.

"That's not helping Tuck," Danny grumbled.

"H word?" Valerie asked.

"Hospital," Sam replied with a tiny cruel smile on her face.

"Sam!" Tucker whined and pulled his legs up onto Jazz's bed and hugged them.

Jazz interrupted their talking. "We'll if we're still visiting Hakan, we need to figure out how to get into the Ghost Zone even though our parents basically guarding it at the moment."

Danny smiled. "I'd guess they'd want a chance to use their new weapon."

Tucker calmed himself and then grinned. "I gotcha. How about I send a completely anonymous hint to the news station that Technus was spotted somewhere."

"Sounds good, I'll tell mom and dad to look at the news when we know it's on." Jazz nodded.

"Okay…" Tucker murmured and started typing furiously on his PDA, "Alright and sent! You can go to your parents now, Jazz."

Jazz nodded and ran downstairs. After a moment, the other four heard Jack's shout of "GHOST!". A bit of noise and other loud talk indicated Jack and Maddie had run out the front door. During the time Tucker and Jazz had been setting their plan into action, Danny had tried to meditate if only briefly to get over some of the stress he'd experienced that day.

Jazz ran up the stairs and grinned. "Let's go!"

And so they did. They left a note saying that they were going to the Nasty Burger and to hang out a while, and then took off into the lab and boarded the Spector Speeder.

zzz

Danny clicked a few more buttons as Tucker got prepared to drive. Danny was acting as co-pilot at the moment and the girls were in the back. They had discovered over time that it was often best not to have Danny drive, not because he couldn't, but because he might need to fly out to fight a ghost at any time. Jazz was sitting between Sam and Valerie and noticed Valerie's unease when Danny finished setting things up and went to press the button that would open the portal.

"What's wrong?" Jazz asked calmly.

Valerie looked at her and sighed. "I've only been in the Ghost Zone once before and it wasn't a pleasant experience. I guess I'm just nervous about it."

"Don't worry about it. It's a bit odd at first but once you've been in it enough times, it's really not that bad, even a little beautiful in some places, emphasis on some." Jazz nodded.

Valerie let out a calming breath and nodded back. "Okay, I'm ready."

The Speeder jerked a bit and they soon were slipping through the portal. Valerie took the time to really look around at the green sky and floating islands. Tucker increased their speed and they started moving quickly in the direction that would take them near Clockwork's. On the way, Danny pointed out Frostbite's domain, Pandora's, and Dora's, telling Valerie a little about them and how they were allies. Danny eventually got the opportunity to point at Clockwork's tower and then Tucker waited for Danny to direct them towards Hakan's lair, which they'd never visited before. Danny leaned up and motioned to a set of mountains.

"He said just at the other side of the those," Danny spoke.

Tucker nodded and the Speeder darted that direction. Before long they could see a rocky gorge and a single Teepee in an odd place on a ledge. They landed and found a place to park the Speeder before gathering some necessities and making their way towards the Teepee.

"This must be his Lair entrance," Danny noted as they got into place and looked over the small home.

"So what do we do? Go in?" Valerie asked.

Danny shook his head. "We have to be invited." He walked forward and called inside, "Hakan! It's me, Danny. I brought some friends to visit! We can leave though if this isn't a good time."

"Ah… child. Come in all of you. Welcome."

Danny nodded to everyone and ducked to move through the opening in the TeePee. Sam followed then Jazz with Valerie and Tucker brought up the rear.

zzz

Everyone paused in wonder at the scene around them. The inside of Hakan's lair was a visage of a great green valley. A waterfall fell from a canyon behind the TeePee and a second TeePee was resting not too far away. Hakan was sitting on the grass; his legs were crossed instead of having his ghost tail like Danny had seen him with, as he inhaled a breath of smoke from his pipe.

"Greetings, children."

"Hello."

"Hi."

"What's up?"

"Nice to meet you."

"Hey again, Hakan," Danny smiled.

Hakan gestured towards the valley as a large bird of prey took flight from a nearby tree and a snort of a Buffalo could be heard from someplace. "What do you think?"

Sam walked up and was smiling. "It's gorgeous."

"You are one that appreciates nature and the balance, correct child?" Hakan asked with a smile.

Sam nodded. "Absolutely."

Hakan chuckled, "That's a bit better than I can say for your friend here." He glanced at Danny and Sam's face immediately fell. "He mocks the balance by simply being…"

"Harsh." Tucker grimaced. Valerie seemed frustrated and Jazz was frowning.

Danny shrugged. "It wasn't my choice."

Hakan smiled at Danny and shook his head. "Perhaps…"

Danny was going to ask what he meant by that, but Hakan interrupted.

"Let us go to the mountains up there. Would be a shame to burn anything up, hm?"

Everyone agreed and Danny transformed before helping everyone up in pairs. They found themselves on a rocky plateau.

"Make sure your friends stay far enough away. Though these flames are not normal flames, they can burn just as badly and even more than normal fire; they can also leave spiritual wounds that medicine cannot easily heal." Hakan warned.

Danny gulped slightly and asked everyone to step back further. He nodded to Hakan once he was facing him again.

"Okay let's start with making sure you have complete control of your core changing. Go from cold to hot as evenly and as repetitively as you can. Go." Hakan spoke before exhaling a puff of smoke.

Danny focused and soon his friends could feel an extra bit of heat radiating towards them, then as soon as it was there, it was gone. Danny switched from his cold core to his hot core several times.

"Okay, that's good, enough," Hakan commanded and Danny stopped. "So to start with, you remember that anger and the eternal fire are linked. Most unrighteous ghosts use anger or fury from injustices done against them or from anger at their life ending too soon. For the righteous though it is important to use something else as the fuel for the flames. You must look deep inside for ambition or your fighting spirit. Most see fire as purely destructive, purely evil, but spirits like me and people as I once was, know that fire can also create new life and do good. Daniel, after you switch to your hot core, I need you to look deep inside and find something to fuel the fire."

Danny nodded and switched to his heat core.

"First pull the heat inside. Your flames will be weaker if you're losing so much heat through the air around you." Hakan instructed.

Danny nodded and took in a breath which helped him pull the heat closer to himself. The others could no longer feel the heat around them anymore.

"Good… now you must ignite those flames inside with something. Over time you'll be able to conjure those emotions without having to completely imagine something, but until that comes, think about what will be your fuel."

Danny closed his eyes and started to think.

ooo

He started trying to think about something ambitious, like his dreams of wanting to be an astronaut. Then when that seemed to not be enough, he thought about his desire to protect Amity Park. He could feel the fire inside start to burn stronger and he thought for certain he had it until suddenly the fire halted. He could feel something else; a feeling curling around his chest. A single dreaded word echoed in his head.

_Why?_

He heard it again with more clarity.

_Why should I do this anymore?_

Suddenly he couldn't stop the wave of emotions flooding into him. He could remember the look of disgust on his parents' faces when they shot at him, the hate on Valerie's before she knew, Vlad's mocking voice and smirk after doing something to make Danny's life a bit more difficult, he could see the students at Casper High laughing at him after falling to the floor, the Mansons shouting out hate about ghosts, Lancer giving him a poor grade, the GiW looking at him as though he had done some horrible thing by simply taking a breath, and even Hakan… saying he was a disturbance.

_Why should I care? They don't…_

He lost all sense of control when the flames burst out from his form in his mind.

ooo

Danny was pretty silent from his friends' point of view before he started to tremble and then growl.

"Danny?" Sam questioned in worry and took a step closer.

Hakan simply continued to watch silently and took another intake of smoke from his pipe. Danny suddenly roared in rage and white fire ignited on the very tips of his hair and pale orange fire across his shoulders before he aimed and fired a stream of them into the sky from his hands.

"Why!? WHY SHOULD I!? WHY!?" Danny raged and pulled his arms back closer to himself again, trembling.

"Danny!" Jazz yelped in surprise, being the only one not shocked enough to speak. He turned slowly to face them and they gasped. His irises were glowing a dark orange and the light from his eyes and the shadows they created, played across his scowling face.

Hakan finally moved forward. Danny actually growled at him and Sam thought for a brief moment she saw his canines were slightly longer than normal, but she shook her head and didn't see it anymore. Hakan swiftly, almost faster than the eye could follow, phased his pipe halfway into Danny's chest, causing his friends to cry out in alarm.

"What the heck!?" Tucker yelped.

"What's wrong with you!?" Sam shouted.

Hakan remained silent and tapped the pipe twice as Danny tried in vain to pull it out. Danny shuttered and soon he started to revert to his normal ghost form as smoke poured out from Hakan's pipe and spiraled into the sky. Danny fell to his knees and Hakan removed the pipe from Danny.

"Very sad. I'm not sure you'll ever amount to much of a fire user. You have too much rage and I refuse to teach one who can find no drive except rage. You completely lost control. Why Clockwork keeps harboring something like you is beyond my understanding," Hakan grumbled.

Danny was looking up at him at first before he bowed his head in shame. "I… I thought… I thought I almost had it. I was so close-"

"Good intentions are worthless and only become lies," Hakan snapped.

"Stop it!" Sam shouted and jumped in front of Danny. Jazz, Tucker, and Valerie soon followed.

"And I thought you were going to be fun to meet, after all the good things Danny said about you! I've changed my mind!" Jazz shouted.

Hakan seemed to ignore them and shook his head, "Such rage…"

"Shut-up!" Sam yelled in anger.

"Yeah, leave Danny alone! You don't know what he's been through, what we've been through!" Tucker argued.

Danny was listening to them speaking and suddenly he was brought inside himself again.

ooo

_Why?_

He could hear his friends arguing with Hakan as the ghost calmly answered their responses and didn't seem troubled.

_Why?_

He could see Sam waving her arms in aggravation and shouting in his defense.

Why?

He could feel two great powers of some sort swirling inside him. He felt anger inside and then… A flash of calm flooded him. He could see the smiles on his parents faces even when they had invented something meant to try and unknowingly destroy him with, he could see Lancer praising him or worrying about him, he could see his friends, family, concerned for him, the citizens concerned when he got hurt fighting, but most importantly he remembered the feeling of doing something kind even when he used to be the most despised ghost in Amity. He remembered the drive and the desire to protect as soon as he realized what he could do with these powers he'd been given.

_Because… I want to protect._

_Because… I want to love._

_Because… I got a second chance to live. I want to give everyone that chance too._

He felt a new kind of warmth now. It wrapped around his hot core and floated like light.

ooo

"So don't berate him for being a bit angry!" Sam shouted, finishing her rant towards Hakan, who was still just as stone-faced as he'd been before. Everyone's attention was turned back to Danny when Jazz gasped.

Danny was kneeling and his eyes were no longer glazed over from being 'not present' and his irises were a bright orange; in his cupped hands was a bright ball of orangish fire with white ascents. He slowly rose his face to look at Hakan.

"They aren't intentions to be broken. It's what I've always wanted from the start. It's my promise I made."

Hakan glanced over the determined look on Danny's face and looked at the fire in Danny's hands before shaking his head. "I simply don't understand it. Two elements like the earth and the heavens… The body and spirit should cause chaos when so closely forced together. How you defy that-"

Danny continued to look up at him.

"You have found your reason. It shall be your fuel. You will meditate when needed to keep that other rage under control." Hakan paused and took a deep exhale, letting smoke flow from his mouth, nose, and even ears. "Now, let's practice how you can use the fire. Anything else afterwards, will be your own practice and of your own creation. I've always believed that every individual should master something in their own way. Are you ready?"

Danny rose to his feet and willed the fireball to fizzle out. He then looked at each of his friends with a grateful glance and then nodded to Hakan, "Let's get started."

zzz

For several hours after that, Danny learned to make fireballs, streams of fire, and blasts of heat from his body. At the very end, Danny surprised even Hakan by using his flames to make himself into a comet like he'd done for Skulker. Hakan reasoned that he was already adding his own twist to using the eternal fire. After a few last bits of advice about meditation methods and limitations to ghostly flame, Hakan said goodbye to Danny and his friends.

With that, Team Phantom made their way through the Ghost Zone and back to Fenton Works. They talked briefly about Hakan and his general personality. While Danny still felt the ghost to be wise if a bit blunt and harsh, his friends were still mad at Hakan for the things he said to Danny. After Danny told them he probably needed that though, they started to see Hakan as mostly good, even if they were still sore about his treatment of Danny in general. Soon they found themselves in the Fenton home, watching the news. Danny and Jazz's parents had returned soon after Team Phantom, and were back in the lab.

Danny was gathering everyone's attention though because he had formed a tiny ember of flame in his hand and was playing with it.

"That is just too cool," Tucker grinned excitedly and bounced a bit on the couch.

"It is pretty." Jazz smiled.

Danny smirked. "I was kinda wondering if I could somehow mix the ice and fire together. I don't know if it's possible though since I have to switch cores in order to use my ice powers. The ghost fire, unlike normal fire, melts my ice."

"Yeah, that would be interesting to say the least. I say to wait a bit first though. You still need a good deal of practice before you start experimenting." Sam added.

Danny chuckled and made the ember dance between his palms. "Very true."

Valerie suddenly stood up when the alarm went off on her watch. At the same time, a wisp of orange came from Danny's mouth. The news flicked on with an alert.

"This just in! A dragon ghost has started to attack the downtown area near the mall! As of right now, no hunters or Danny Phantom have arrived on the scene. There are no casualties or major injuries as of yet-"

Danny nodded. "Looks like I get to practice right now. Ready Team Phantom?"

"Ready." Valerie nodded as her suit sprung up around her. Sam, Tucker and Jazz agreed after they grabbed some Wrist Rays, Thermoses, and Jazz grabbed up the Fenton Peeler. Danny transformed as another wisp of orange fled his mouth. His ghost sense's range had gotten wider in recent months which made knowing where ghosts where in the city even easier than before.

"Huh, your ghost sense must be orange when you're using your hot core," Jazz pointed out.

"Yeah, must be. Let's go," Danny replied and took off. Valerie darted off right behind him after getting through the door. Tucker was the one to close the door on the way out. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz jumped on their scooters to go after the other two faster members of their team.

* * *

**So we get a little bit of Valerie getting used to Team Phantom and Danny learns the building blocks of his Pyrokinesis. Then the ghost gaunlets make an appearance.**

**Ultimately this tale will extend over the duration of their Senior year (excluding Jazz since she's in college), so now we're in October. I'm going to try my best to make any jumps in time as smooth as possible, but I feel like with how jumbled the actual show was with time and such, I'll be fine saying when a couple weeks or a few weeks have passed without anything important happening.**

* * *

**7/9/16: Removed irrelevant ANs and answers to questions sections, fixed a few tiny plot-holes and inconsistencies, tried to improve characterization, went through wave one of grammar fixes, tried to ease up on some clichés I didn't know about when I'd started writing this, and made somethings a bit clearer.**


	4. Where there is a flame

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_The most sublime act is to set another before you." ~ William Blake_

zzz

Danny got to the scene quickly and Valerie wasn't too far behind. He paused in his flight and saw Aragon in his dragon form wrecking the mall. He'd heard Aragon had escaped from Dora's Dungeons some time ago and had been wandering the Ghost Zone looking for a new place to rule. Danny had promised Dora to return him to her if he found her unruly brother. Aragon turned and locked eyes with Danny when a bystander pointed the hero out.

"You!" Aragon roared and turned from the mall and faced Danny and Valerie. He hissed, "I will destroy you for interfering! This world will suffer for influencing my sister!"

Danny crossed his arms, "Dude, you seriously have control issues."

"Silence!" Aragon roared again and then blew bright blue ghost fire from his mouth at the two of them. Danny and the Valerie darted two different directions to dodge the attack and Valerie turned and started to fire missiles at the dragon. They exploded against his scaly skin and he roared in pain, turning to face her. He moved towards her and swatted at her with his claws. She dodged them by dipping and then flying high before firing a few lasers at him. He turned sharply to deflect the attacks with his hard wings. He surprised Valerie by continuing the turn and swatting her harshly with his barbed tail. Valerie yelled out when she was thrown from her board. Danny was going to help when her board shot towards her and saved her from her fall. That slight distraction was all Aragon needed to grab Danny in his claws.

"I shall execute you, knave!" Aragon hissed. He pulled back his head and then blasted Danny and his hands with his own flames. Valerie yelled out in alarm and so did Sam, Jazz, and Tucker when they arrived. Aragon stopped and everyone, watching, waited to see if their hero was no more. Danny was still in the dragon's claws, but he was hardly burnt. Only a few holes were in his suit and he let out a tiny breath of smoke.

"My turn." Danny grinned and then released a wave of fire from his body, burning Aragon's hands and snout. The prince dropped Danny who floated away some. "You aren't the only one who can play with fire any more!" Two balls of fire formed in Danny's hands and he tossed them at the dragon who was still staring at his claws dumbly. The balls of fire exploded against Aragon's right eye and shoulder. He screeched in pain.

"RAAaaaagh!"

Lancer was actually in the crowd along with Dash and Paulina, who'd been hanging out at the mall.

"_Great Balls of Fire_!" Mr. Lancer exclaimed in surprise, "He must've learned a new trick."

"Now he's even hotter than before," Paulina sighed dreamily.

Dash frowned slightly but that only lasted for a second since he was more interested in how awesome his hero was. "He's like ten times _cooler_ than before!"

Everyone ducked slightly when Danny was swatted by Aragon's tail during the battle. He was shot over their heads and slammed into the side of the mall. He fell over onto his hands and knees and Paulina ran up to him.

"Oh! Inviso-bil! Are you okay? Let me help you," Paulia spoke and reached for him, as a few others gathered nearby. Danny had a gash in his side that was dripping ectoplasm and a cut on his left cheek. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"I'm kinda hot at the moment, using my fire. You might burn yourself if you touch me. I'm not practiced enough yet not to accidentally burn people at touch. Ice is one thing, I don't accidentally freeze people who touch me anymore. Fire's kinda new," Danny explained nervously as Paulina still tried to reach for him. He wasn't actually lying but he also didn't want her to touch him. He just didn't like her that way anymore and her view of him even as 'Inviso-bil' bothered him a bit. He flinched when she gasped. His eyes diverted to Valerie and Aragon to see her do some damage to the dragon with a couple more missiles. Jazz blasted Aragon with the Peeler before hiding in an alleyway again. Tucker was giving his sister support and he could see Sam making her way through the crowd; she must be worried that he'd been hurt worst than he had. He glanced back up at Paulina to silently ask for the reason of her gasp.

"You… you have… facial hair?" Paulina asked. Everyone then glanced at him and indeed noticed the small points of white glowing stubble on his chin and jawline. They were very small and only someone like Paulina would be able to notice and bring everyone's attention to it.

"Uhhh yeaaaah?" Danny asked nervously. "Look I need to fight Aragon, later!" He then vanished and appeared up above the group of people before shooting out two streams of fire from his hands at Aragon's back. Paulina sighed dreamily again.

"Stubble? This just keeps getting better and better."

Back with Danny, the dragon hissed in pain and anger from Danny's attack before turning. A blast from Sam's Wrist Ray angered him further and he turned to aim a breath of fire at Sam.

"If you aren't to be my wife, then you shall be no one's!"

Danny gasped and shot down towards Sam. He stopped in front of her, arms and legs wide as a shield as the fire struck him instead. Sam shouted in worry, but stopped short when she saw the blue fires of Aragon's condense at a point before hitting Danny and actually turning into heat and get absorbed into Danny's chest. She shivered when she felt a very brief chill that came and went. She realized he'd switched cores.

"Like I said, control issues! _Someone_ needs to just cool off!" Danny growled and fired two beams of ice at Aragon and forced as much power into it as possible. Aragon roared once, before he was completely frozen. Danny turned and looked at Sam, "Thermos quick! He might break out with his own hot core soon!"

Sam nodded and fiddled with the thermos on her waist before tossing it to Danny. He uncapped the thermos, right when the ice around Aragon shattered. It was too late for the Prince though, because soon, he was being sucked into the Thermos' beam.

"I swear I will get my revenge! I swear it and I will have the perfect human wife!" Danny capped the Thermos and sighed in relief. An eruption of cheers sounded behind him and he let a tiny smile come to his face. He landed on the ground as the free-lance reporter, tasked with getting new info on him, ran up. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz got scarce before that happened, as to not be seen as too involved with him, Valerie however stuck around. She was floating in the air, quietly.

"This is Jessica Stuart live with Danny Phantom after his victory against the dragon ghost!" The reporter started speaking and then turned to point the mike at Danny. "Who is that ghost, why did he attack, and why is the Red Huntress apparently helping you?"

Danny laughed a bit nervously. "Uh, well in order… That ghost is Aragon. He's kinda a mean fellow and doesn't value women's rights too much, the guy died sometime in the Middle Ages. He attacked because I stopped him from kidnapping a human girl for a bride a while back and the Huntress…" Danny turned to look over his shoulder at Valerie, through her visor. "She's kinda got a truce going with me at the moment… We're still kinda rivals, but who knows… maybe we'll become better friends with time."

"One last question, the fire powers…"

Danny could suddenly hear the sound of the Fenton RV approaching, baring his parents, and turned back around and shook his head. "No comment on that for now." He lifted into the air with a smile. "Later everyone." With that he shot up and away following after Valerie as she did the same. Team Phantom was going to meet back up at the Nasty Burger. Danny and Valerie coasted through the sky together on their way there.

"Interesting way of wording our truce there," Valerie spoke.

"Yeah I thought it was best as to not make things too weird… especially for Vlad." Danny paused and looked at her closer. "Are you hurt? I saw Aragon hit you with his tail."

"My suit tends to handle most hits I take, emphasis on most."

Danny nodded in approval and they were quiet again, but happy, until Valerie stopped dead in her tracks.

"OH Crap!" Valerie exclaimed.

Danny stopped in flight and turned to look back at her, "What?"

"It's my dad! How in the world will I explain why I've suddenly started to help Phantom?"

"Hmm… That kinda is a problem. Maybe just say you found he wasn't too bad and are kinda testing it out."

"But he works for Axion which is not only working with your parents in ghost technology for it's supernatural line of products but also with the GiW in… some aspects. He'll be a little worried about me helping a ghost."

Danny tapped his chin and sighed. He then looked back at her and gave a weak smile. "You could say you're studying me."

Valerie gaped. "No… no way. I won't-"

"Valerie, it's okay. I know you aren't really doing that. We can be selective on what you report too so that when he asks for proof if he ever actually does-" Danny snorted, "Then we can."

"But-"

"It's okay. This job is full of compromises, trust me." Danny smirked.

Valerie sighed. "Fine Danny, but I'm not happy about it."

"It'll work, I hope."

Valerie only laughed before following after him to continue their way to the Nasty Burger. Valerie and Danny found a place to transform when they arrived and then met Sam, Tucker, and Jazz in the restaurant. Valerie smiled at them.

"Well I've got the late shift today, so I better go. I had fun guys, the Zone isn't too bad either."

"Alright, Valerie take care."

"See ya!"

"Later."

"Bye, Val."

Everyone paused and looked at Tucker.

"Excuse me?" Valerie asked.

Tucker fumbled, "I just said bye… Valerie."

"That's not-" Valerie started and then shut her mouth and smiled, "Never mind." She turned and walked away after giving them a last wave.

"Smooth," Sam drawled sarcastically.

"Uh-" Tucker started and then Jazz interrupted.

"Well for a first time fighting with your fire powers, you did well little bro." Jazz smiled.

Danny smiled back. "Yeah I guess I did." He went to lean back and flinched in pain.

"Oh! You're still hurt, Danny." Sam spoke up. She could see the bit of blood dotting his t-shirt from a gash that was under his shirt and the cut on his cheek was beaded up with blood, but not running like it had been. He'd healed some already on the way to the Nasty Burger.

"Yeah, but they should heal soon," Danny spoke in response.

"Come on, let's go to Fenton Works and get you patched up some," Sam expressed and pulled him to stand from the bench by his wrist.

"We could you know… stay here if you wanted us to," Tucker spoke and Sam and Danny looked down at him and saw him wiggle his eyebrows suggestively. Sam released Danny's wrist and kicked Tucker's shin, making him cry out.

"I always knew you losers would end up together!"

Danny didn't get to turn before Dash bumped him into the table edge, unknowingly making him slam his gash into it. Danny yelped in pain which surprised Sam, Tucker, and Jazz until Jazz noticed a bit more blood flowing and bleeding onto Danny's shirt. Danny looked over his shoulder to glare at Dash and Kwan. Paulina and Star were behind them.

"Just go shove a burger in your pie-hole Dash," Sam growled.

"Tch whatever. Like I'd listen to you, geek." Dash spoke and then looked over Sam, noticing how she'd grown, "Although, if you wanted to… I might be willing to _honor_ _you_ with my presence at the back table…"

Danny froze up and Sam paused. The back table in the Nasty Burger was where Casper High had assigned for couples to go to eat. They would eat and then slip into the back room to make-out or even hook up. It was one of those weird traditions.

"First off, ew." Sam grimaced. "And secondly, you just hurt my friend, one of my best friends. You think I'd then go do something like that with you?"

Dash growled, "You think you can just talk like that to me?" He then grabbed her wrist. A few other tables of Casper High students noticed and Valerie, behind the order counter took notice too.

Tucker glanced at Jazz nervously when they started to feel heat pouring out of Danny.

"Lay off, Dash!" Danny growled. Sam could feel the heat from him, but only on her back. If he got any closer, she was sure Dash and the others would question the weird temperature difference. She did the first thing she could think off and slammed her combat boot down hard on Dash's foot.

"OOOOWWW!" Dash yelled out and let go of her. Sam stepped back a bit and put a hand on Danny's shoulder. She flinched at the warmth.

"Danny, _cool it_," She whispered, trying to warn him. He glanced at her and seemed to get what she meant. She watched him take a deep breath and the cold she normally felt from him came back. The cold that could easily be, by most people, mistaken for Danny just being a bit clammy. She moved a bit to hide the blood stain on Danny's lower left part of his shirt.

Dash growled, "This isn't over, both of you!" Dash then turned and limped away again, with Kwan right behind him. Paulina gave Sam a dirty look before her eyes trailed over Danny's person longer than Sam liked. Star ran off behind Paulina as the A-listers left. Sam turned and looked at Danny.

"Let's go. You need to change shirts," Sam instructed.

So the four friends left after saying one last farewell to Valerie and got back to Fenton Works. Jazz and Tucker waited in the living room for Sam and Danny to finish cleaning Danny up. Tucker and Jazz watched the two march up to Danny's room.

Tucker turned to Jazz. "How much you wanna bet that when or if he takes his shirt off, Sam and him finally become an item?"

Jazz sighed and shook her head, "Tucker, hormones are powerful things, but not _that_ powerful. Beside that point, you'd be surprised how powerful fear on the psyche can be. They still need more time to feel comfortable about crossing that boundary normally between friends."

"Blah blah, you in or not?"

"In, nothing will happen, _yet_."

"Fine."

zzz

Danny walked towards his bed first and pointed to his bathroom. "My first-aid kit's in there."

Sam nodded and walked that direction and found the small box in one of the drawers under the sink. She came back in the room to see Danny leaning over the drawer of his dresser, trying to find a new shirt. She swallowed thickly, seeing him without his shirt on. It wasn't like she hadn't seen him like this before, occasionally swimming when it was too hot for even him to wear a t-shirt over his torso and well when she would help him with his wounds other times, it was just how'd he'd changed within the last year. He was certainly impressive to say the least with his toned chest, strong stomach, and not as stick-like arms as before; his true growth spurt had really been good to him.

"Sam?"

Sam snapped out of her daze and saw him look at her in confusion and shift nervously; he was still so modest and nervous without his shirt on. He was facing her now and she could clearly see the gash on the lower part of his left side. It had started to have strings of flesh stretching across the wound; this was how Danny's fast healing worked, the skin and flesh almost seemed to meld itself together. It was still weeping though. In his human form, Danny's blood was red, but had a sheen to it like gasoline was mixed in; this was how the ectoplasm appeared in his blood. When he was in ghost form the multitudes of tiny ectoplasm flecks would light up and glow, making his blood look like pure ectoplasm. As for the cut on his cheek, it was already almost done with its scab and part of it was forming a tiny scar where the scab was already gone.

"Sorry Danny. Sit down on the bed and I'll wrap and sanitize the gash on your side. The one on your face looks fine."

Danny nodded and walked over with a dark blue t-shirt in his hand. He sat down and Sam kneeled to spray some disinfectant on the wound. He flinched only briefly but didn't speak as Sam then started to wrap the gauze around his waist.

"I'm going to have to figure out an excuse for the blood on my shirt if mom sees it. I hope I can get in one extra wash for it separate without her knowing," Danny spoke.

Sam nodded and continued her work. Danny looked down at her and saw she was blushing ever so faintly; this made him blush a bit in return. Sam finished and stood as Danny pulled his new shirt over his head.

"Told you they'd be almost healed," Danny chuckled.

"Yeah yeah whatever," Sam grumbled at his tease.

Danny stood and scooped up his dirty shirt and walked out of his room with Sam.

zzz

After Sam and Tucker talked with Danny and Jazz for a bit longer while Danny's shirt washed, the two friends left the Fenton's house. Tucker had seemed to be disappointed by something and hadn't said what was wrong except for an annoyed glanced at Jazz who'd shrugged back at the other boy with a triumphant smile. The two siblings then got ready for the rest of the night.

zzz

Valerie sighed happily when she'd gotten home from work. She dropped off her bag and walked into the living area to find her father sitting with the news on and reading the paper, which she found redundant.

"Hey dad." Valerie smiled at her father and he gave her a smile in return.

"Hello Valerie," Damon spoke as she moved past him. He suddenly put down his newspaper.

Valerie paused in her movement towards their small kitchen. "Is there, something wrong dad?"

Damon smiled and muted the TV. "No dear, I just wanted to talk to you about something."

Valerie nodded. "It's about Phantom, right?"

Damon frowned. "I'm just confused and a bit concerned, that's all. You used to despise him. Not only that, but even though he appears to be a benevolent ghost, he could still be dangerous. So can we at least start with why?"

Valerie walked back over and sighed as she sat in the seat beside her father. "Some things happened recently that made me rethink Phantom's credibility. Things he'd said that turned out to be the truth. So to be honest I'm helping him a bit and just seeing what happens, also I'm trying to use this opportunity to study him a bit. Obviously he's pretty special as far as ghosts go. He did just learn that fire technique not too long ago and he's already got a decent grip on it."

Damon nodded to everything she said and sighed. "I think that's fine, but just be really careful Valerie. Not too long ago, Mr. Masters expressed concern about how manipulative ghosts can be. For all we know, the Fentons are right and Phantom could be jerking us along, until we aren't useful anymore for whatever it is he wants."

Valerie had to bite her tongue to not say anything about Vlad or defending Danny against what her father was saying. She simply agreed to be careful and shared a hug with her father. Afterwards they both enjoyed a nice dinner and a few hours after that, Valerie found herself laying on her bed, facing the ceiling. She glanced over at her bedside table and spotted a very important picture frame. She picked it up and held it in front of her. It was a picture of her mother, a year before she'd passed away.

"Mom… I hope… I hope you're proud of me and that I'm finally doing the right thing."

Soon she was fast asleep with the picture of her mother facing her bed.

zzz

The next day came around and Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie planned to meet up to start a day of fun. Jazz was too busy working again on her second volume of writing in her series on Ghost Envy for a college course she was taking. The first volume which had begun as a College Entrance Thesis had become quite well received and published in several journals. Danny was willing to allow Jazz full access to his Ghost Files during these times and she was very grateful for that.

zzz

The four friends had a plan set down for the day. First they were going to the mall to hang out and shop around, then they planned to go and have some time to enjoy some food in the park, and finally they planned to catch a movie.

"Good thing we kept Aragon from wrecking this place too badly," Tucker spoke as they entered the front of the mall after looking at the cranes and other vehicles that were trying to repair the small amounts of damage to the side of the building.

"That's true," Valerie nodded.

"Yeah, Dora was grateful that we captured him for her." He glanced at each of his friends. "So we wanna split up and check out the places we wanna go?" Danny asked and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Sounds like a good idea. Meet up at the fountain in the center?" Sam asked.

Everyone agreed and walked off. Sam headed towards the Skulk and Lurk with Valerie actually following behind her; she was willing to check the place out if Sam would do the same to the clothing store Valerie had in mind. Danny and Tucker wandered off towards the Video Game store.

zzz

"Wow… I didn't realize how much black could be in one place," Valerie spoke as the two girls walked through the clothing racks and shelfs of memorabilia in the Skulk and Lurk.

"I know… Isn't it great?" Sam said somewhat excitedly.

Valerie smiled a bit. "It's certainly interesting, but I think I'll stick to my style."

"To each their own." Sam nodded and pulled out a dark purple dress with an almost completely open back. "Happy early Birthday to me."

Valerie cocked her eyebrow as she followed Sam up to the check out counter. "Why not just tell your parents what you'd like? Do you always buy your own presents?"

Sam frowned a bit and became slightly irritated. "My parents would never in a million years buy something like this for me. It goes against their perception of beauty and perfection. So I'll buy it for myself."

Valerie nodded. "I guess I understand. Just… you know… don't take your parents for granted, ever."

Sam turned after she finished paying and frowned sadly at Valerie. "I… yeah. I understand."

Valerie smiled. "Okay then, come on. I want to see what you think of my world. Be open, okay?"

Sam sighed. "Okay… just please nothing pink."

"There will be some, but only some," Valerie laughed and that made Sam smile.

zzz

Eventually they found themselves at Abyss, one of the more popular teen clothing stores.

Sam sighed. "I'm going to really hate this."

Valerie chuckled, "Aw, it won't be that bad. Ooh!" Valerie walked over to a rack and found a couple t-shirts and a lovely green summer dress. "I do know the summer dress will be cheaper this time of year. I bet this would be a nice color for you to try." She finished and passed a lavender color dress and then a dark green t-shirt to match the stripes on Sam's skirt.

"Uhh… I don't know…" Sam mumbled. "They're so…"

"Girly? Colorful?" Valerie smirked. "Yeah… kinda the point you know? Hey just think about what Danny will think?"

Sam blushed and shook her head, "Danny… he… he doesn't care about that stuff as much as he used to."

Valerie smiled. "Yeah. He's a good guy, but don't you wanna treat him? Reward him for his loyalty to you?"

Sam frowned. "You're talking almost like we're dating or something."

"Ugh, why aren't you?" Valerie finally said in return.

Sam blushed again, "Well I… I guess…"

"Look I understand you're afraid, but he is too. You both really like each other, go for it!" Valerie spoke out as they neared the changing rooms.

"Well… maybe," Sam murmured.

The two girls disappeared into their separate rooms. After a while, Valerie came out with her choices over her arm having decided on buying the dress an one of the t-shirts.

"Hey Sam, let me see that dress on you," Valerie spoke.

"I don't know… I'm not sure I can do light colors," Sam muttered from behind the door.

"Get out here, girl," Valerie replied and rapped on the door with a smirk on her face.

"Who are you talking to, Valerie?"

Valerie turned and saw Star, Paulina, Kwan, and Dash standing behind her. Star was smiling after she'd spoken, Kwan was smiling too, while Paulina seemed unimpressed and Dash looked a bit bored.

"Oh uh-"

"Fine, I'm coming out. Just don't laugh if this turns out as stupid as I think it will."

Everyone looked at the door and Valerie looked over her shoulder in slight alarm. The changing door creaked open and Sam stepped out.

The lavender dress covered all of her chest and wrapped around her neck like a collar. From there, the dress opened in the back down to the mid back. The rest of the dress simply fell straight to the ground. Sam had removed her ponytail and her ebony hair was resting just below her jawline.

Star gasped, Kwan and Dash's eyes widened ever so slightly and Paulina opened her mouth just the tiniest bit.

"Love of God why are they here?" Sam questioned and glanced at Valerie.

"They just popped up," Valerie replied still a bit surprised. "By the way, it looks wonderful."

Sam looked down at herself and took a breath. "I suppose… I guess I like it. It isn't terrible."

"See? I told you," Valerie smirked.

"Ha ha," Sam replied and rolled her eyes.

Paulina seemed to snap from her stupor. Star was smiling and seemed excited. Kwan and Dash were still looking at her and soon Kwan looked away, letting it go, and Dash stubbornly crossed his arms and glanced away as well.

"So you've finally succumbed and given up your individuality," Paulina spoke and smirked slightly.

Sam glared at her. "No I haven't. I won't ever do that. I'm an open-minded individual I was willing to indulge my friend here."

"Sure… What is it? Are you trying to impress Danny or something?" Paulina asked carefully.

Sam flushed slightly and growled. "That's absolutely none of your business."

"Really? Is that so?" Paulina questioned.

"Yes really," Sam muttered.

"I suppose it might be my business… if I wanted to make a move on him, myself."

Dash tensed up and whipped his head around to look at Paulina. "Say WHAT!? Why would you want to be anywhere near that loser?"

"He is NOT a loser!" Sam hissed.

"I have to wonder… did you somehow know how he'd turn out? Planned ahead and got him wrapped around your little finger? I have to say, I don't think I've even done something so underhanded to get a guy to like me," Paulina spoke and looked at her finger nails.

"Stop right there."

Paulina glanced up and everyone looked at Sam.

"I want you to get something perfectly clear right now, Paulina," Sam spoke and pointed at the other girl, "I have never ever cared about your opinion of me, ever. I won't stand here though and let you stay you think you understand me and Danny's friendship, the same even goes for Tucker. I care about Danny a lot. I care about his wishes, his dreams, his health and his happiness. Unlike you, I wouldn't_ use_ him for my benefit. Danny is a special person… you have no idea. So don't even begin to try and understand our relationship, whether it forever remains on a friend to friend basis or ever becomes something more."

Paulina seemed a bit thrown off before she narrowed her eyes. "This doesn't change _my_ mind. We'll see how well you actually know Danny or boys for that matter."

Star was frowning a bit and gave Valerie a sad look. Kwan glanced at Dash who was steaming slightly.

"Let's go," Paulina spoke and the four teens walked off.

Valerie turned to Sam who was glaring at the popular students as they left, "It'll be okay Sam. Paulina won't even compare to you in Danny's mind."

Sam looked up at her friend and gave a hesitant smile. "You think so?"

"I know so. That phase is over for him. You should've seen the aerial view I had. When Paulina reached out to Danny _Phantom_ when we were fighting Aragon, he moved away like she was a hot iron. Come on, let's pay and find those two goofballs of ours."

Sam cocked a brow. "Goofballs of _ours_? That's quite suggestive… Almost as if you're implying that Danny's mine and Tucker's-"

Valerie's cheeks lit up slightly at the implication and she grit her teeth. "Oh hush! I didn't mean that."

"You're cheeks say otherwise."

"Let's go already."

"Okay okay, let me change."

zzz

"I find the story mode in Rainforest Destruction Two to be lacking compared to the first installment, even if the graphics were far superior," Mikey expressed in earnest. He, Lester, and Tucker were standing and talking about their opinions on various games. Danny had gotten slightly bored by the talk and had walked over to a shelf of games. His eyes landed on something quite surprising. It was a video game about him… about Danny Phantom.

"It's a pretty good game, as far as brawling games go."

Danny looked to his side and saw Brandon. He was one of the band geeks at school, a chunky red-headed fellow that played the tuba.

"Really?" Danny asked and smiled slightly.

"Yeah, they have several of Phantom's most common foes, like Ember, the Lunch Lady, Skulker, and the Wisconsin Ghost, he's the final boss. I think Undergrowth and Vortex are a couple of the mini bosses. Then again that's just what my little cousin told me. Sadly it doesn't give the player fire powers, since Phantom just started using those, but maybe they'll make a DLC."

"Huh," Danny replied and nodded. "I might have to try it out myself."

Brandon chuckled but then slowly frowned. "Phantom is so brave. I mean I know he's a ghost so he doesn't have to worry about dying like some of the super-heroes in comic books do, but still…"

Danny grimaced slightly at Brandon inaccurate assumption that Phantom didn't have to worry about dying, but continued to listen.

"I wish I could be that brave." Brandon sighed. "I guess video games are the only place I can do that though."

"Anyone can be a hero."

Brandon paused and looked over at Danny. "Huh?"

Danny turned his head and locked eyes with Brandon. "Anyone can be a hero. You don't need super powers… Funny thing is… for some reason people seem to think that super powers suddenly gives people a reason to do the right thing and help people. I mean sure powers help with some of the enemies I'd imagine, but being brave or helping someone… anyone can do that. You just have to actually try. Help someone pick up their books, talk to someone who seems like they could use a friend. Those things can take just as much bravery as facing down a dragon."

Brandon looked into Danny's eyes in awe before a smile split his face. "Yeah! I could try that." He quieted some but Danny's acute hearing could pick up his words. "I could be brave…"

Danny nodded and picked up the game about him titled, Danny Phantom and the Gauntlet of Ghosts.

"Thanks Danny," Brandon murmured. "I wish there were more people like you at Casper. You and your friends are the only ones brave enough to call Dash and the others out on what they do."

Danny laughed nervously. "Eh, I don't know… maybe I just have a mouth on me."

Brandon snorted in just. "Could be that too."

Danny eventually said goodbye to Brandon and paid for his game with Tucker paying for his choice. Tucker started making fun of Danny for buying a game about himself as soon as they were out of earshot. It was getting about time to meet up with Sam and Valerie when Danny stopped and glanced over at a jewelry booth. Tucker noticed and grinned.

"You thinking of getting Sam something _nice_ for her birthday coming up, hm? Danny are ya? hm?" Tucker spoke and wiggled his eyebrows.

Danny grumbled and elbowed his friend in the side lightly, to avoid hurting him too bad.

"Yeah yeah, but not what you're thinking. Best part is, I don't have to pay for anything but the chain."

"Huh? How's that?"

"Two words, ghost ice."

"Oh dude, so unfair. Other than that though… I think she'll love it. I mean a necklace of ghost ice? How goth is that?"

"Even more so if I can get ghost fire inside them… or even one. I won't give her that one though until I'm sure it won't hurt her."

"Sounds like a plan to me, dude."

Danny and Tucker made their way over to the booth and soon, Danny had purchased a pretty onyx chain. He hid the bag for the chain in his Game-o-Rama sack.

"Dang, I need to figure out what to get her now."

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

The two friends made their way over to the fountain only to see Sam and Valerie walking over as well.

zzz

"So let me get this straight… You bought a game about yourself?" Valerie asked as the four friends made their way towards the entrance of the mall.

Danny scratched the back of his head. "I was curious. I wanted to see how accurate they were. Apparently Vlad's the final boss, according to Brandon's cousin."

"So no ego involved at all?" Sam asked and cocked a suspicious brow.

"Uh no?" Danny gulped. "Just curiosity."

"Not even a little?"

"Okay maybe a tiny bit."

"That's what I thought."

Tucker pulled the game from Danny's hand and chuckled, "Maybe I'm an un-lockable character or something."

"Doubt it, we try to disappear after the fights," Sam replied.

"Aw, you're such a party pooper, Sam," Tucker grumbled and passed the game back to Danny who put it back in his sack.

"So where in the park will we eat?" Valerie asked.

"I was thinking we could try out this new hotdog stand this guy's set up. Those portable food stand businesses are really getting popular you know," Tucker spoke and looked something up on his PDA.

"I think a hot dog sounds pretty good." Danny smiled.

"You need like three! I swear Danny, you're going to wither away or suck all the emotions out of someone on accident if you don't eat more," Sam expressed.

Valerie glanced between Sam and Danny, "Pardon?"

"Oh yeah, Danny's body needs one and a half times the amount of carbohydrates and other nutrients than a normal human being because of his other half. If he doesn't eat enough, his other half starts to feed on emotions from others, that's why ghosts like to scare people or play with their emotions so much when they exit the Ghost Zone. Not only does it feel good, but it helps their powered form stay stable. Ghosts that don't receive enough emotions become invisible most of the time, can't pick things up, and certainly can't attack anything. It's because of the Portal that all the ghosts around here can more easily manifest now. There's more energy without necessarily having to scare much," Tucker rambled.

"Oh," Valerie replied simply and looked at Danny. "Does it hurt for people if you feed on their emotions?"

Danny squirmed uncomfortably. "There's only been one time that I actually did it directly. I accidentally made all the guys in the guys' locker room really depressed. Remember that football game that took place that one day? You know, how we lost_ so_ bad that one game last season?"

Valerie's eyes widened slightly before she started to laugh. "You've got to be kidding, that was you Fenton?"

Danny smirked and scratched the back of his head again. "I hadn't really gotten to eat much that week. We'd had several big tests, the ghosts were acting up, and mom and dad were creating a lot of things that effected our food in the refrigerator again. So I tried it and I didn't do it as subtly as I had planned. I don't think it hurt them, but they certainly weren't happy."

"So you can feed off of happiness? Is that one of the reasons you started to protect Amity?" Valerie asked and a tiny hint of displeasure suddenly entered her voice.

"Yes I can, but it wasn't the reason why. I honestly didn't even know I could feed off emotions until Clockwork told me once when I visited him and he knew I'd been worn out," Danny replied and Valerie seemed pleased with that answer.

"It should be right over there," Tucker spoke, interrupting them, and pointed down the pathway in the park they were walking on now. Down the way, there was a trailer with people lined up to get food.

"I hope they have veggie burgers or even veggie dogs," Sam mused.

Danny smiled at her and was about to speak when he froze. His three friends slowed to a stop.

"Danny, you okay?" Sam asked in worry.

Danny looked at them with a very confused look on his face. "I don't know what it is… I kinda feel like a ghost is nearby, but my ghost sense didn't go off."

Valerie checked her watch which had a ghost detector on it, "My detector isn't sensing anything."

Danny frowned. "Then why do I feel like something's wrong?"

"I don't know dude, maybe you've just been overworked? It's been a while since we've had a peaceful weekend day," Tucker spoke.

"Tucker!" Sam yelled. "You know you always jinx us like that."

Tucker frowned. "Oh come on. I know it happens a lot, but surely it can't happen every. single. time, I mention the obvious."

A scream sounded from behind them.

"You were saying?" Sam asked.

Tucker looked aggravated. "Allow _me_ to kick _myself_ this time."

"What is that thing!?"

The four immediately looked over at what people were pointing and shouting or screaming about. It looked like an Ectopus, but instead of the common green variety or the slightly less common blue colored variety, it was a stark dark purple, almost black, with slanted blood red eyes which held no iris or pupil of any kind, at least none that could be seen from this distance.

"Why didn't my detector sense it?" Valerie asked no one and started fiddling with her watch.

"Same reason my ghost sense didn't," Danny replied.

"Then… does that mean, it's not a ghost?" Sam asked. All four friends were silent for a moment in thought about that question before Danny's eyes locked back on the creature.

"No matter what it is, I need to do something," Danny spoke and ran towards a stand of trees. He disappeared within their shadows before Danny Phantom shot out. Danny darted off towards the strange Ectopus while Valerie got ready herself.

The people in the small crowd seemed to relax a bit when they noticed Danny.

"Hey how many times do I have to tell you little guys, you belong in the ghost zone and squirting your ectoplasm ink is not a funny prank!" Danny yelled as a small smirk came to his face. He was eyeing the creature carefully, trying to figure out what could be off about it, but ultimately he felt certain it was just some weird form of Ectopus and the fight would be over quickly. He reevaluated _everything_ when the Ectopus actually _spoke,_ they never spoke.

"Kill… kill… kill KiLL kILL kIll KilL KILL kill KIll kiLL kill kill… kill… KILL KILL KILLLLLLL!"

Danny was honestly shocked, though there were some ghosts that were willing to kill or had a general sense of indifference towards life, there were very few other than Skulker being a hunter that actually wanted to do nothing but kill. There was always another motive or obsession they had to follow or their whole act was pointless and meaningless to them. This thing though, just wanted blood for the sake of it. Almost like… Dan did.

"Whoa easy there, pal. On second thought you can squirt as much ectoplasm as you want. No need to freak out," Danny replied. Valerie coasted up to his side at that moment. He leaned over and spoke low to her. "Something is really weird here. I've seen a lot of malevolent ghosts… but not like this. It just wants to kill for some reason."

"Strange," Valerie murmured.

Before Danny could add anything else, the Ectopus shot towards them. I whipped one of his tentacles at them and managed to slap Danny's arm. Normally, that wouldn't have done anything, but like most everything else about this creature, this wasn't normal. Danny immediately felt searing pain fire through his arm. The pain was so bad that he wailed in agony. He felt something snake it's way through his arm like fire as if heading for his heart, but before it could get to his shoulder, it stopped. Danny darted off to the side to hold his arm and try to see straight through the pain still pulsing through him. It felt more like a lingering sort of pain now, but it still hurt badly.

_Why did it stop? What was happening? It was almost like…_

Danny glanced over at Valerie, watching her dodge the Ecotpus, trying to reach her and hitting it with various lasers and missiles that seemed to do nothing.

_Like… a jellyfish. Venom… it was heading to my heart. What stopped it?_

He could feel his core pulsing lightly, sending a tingling sensation through him and almost numbing the pain in his arm.

_My core? My core stopped it somehow? Would I have… Could I have... died? Again? Wait. VALERIE!_

Danny suddenly shot forward. "Huntress, everyone, get away! That thing can kill you if it touches you!"

Valerie whipped her head to look at him in surprise. She glanced back at the Ectopus to see it dodge her last missile and come straight for her. She felt a shove and then she was falling.

"DANNY!"

Valerie heard Sam and Tucker cry out in worry, because of something obviously terrible she couldn't see yet. Valerie felt the air in her lungs fly from her chest when her board caught her and she glanced up and over after sitting up slowly. Danny was where she'd been; the Ectopus' tentacles were wrapped around his shoulders and back, skimming his chest. He was completely silent, but she could see the frozen look of agony on his face. Before she could scream a bunch of profanities out, because he took the hit for her, she and everyone else saw white light forming around Danny's body. It was like an aura and then it vanished. Suddenly, the Ectopus let out a spine-chilling screech as it's body started to disintegrate, it's pieces floating up and away like burning ashes from a fire. Soon the creature was gone, and Danny fell.

**zzzzzzzzz**

**So this chapter marks the first chapter that a hint of the new threat is making an appearance. The next chapter will reveal a tiny bit more about what was going on with the Ectopus. It will take a while though before everything is clear.**

**zzzzzzz**

**Answer to Questions:**

**kinitsukirihan: It would be neat seeing Danny split, but using protection as fuel, and two cores.. two Phantoms? If he remerged, then wouldn't the two mix? A power core? Can't wait for more! You are pacing this really well.**

**NoSignal: Some interesting theories, I guess we'll have to see though ;)**

**Amber055: Great can't wait for more. How often would you update this story?**

**NoSignal: We'll maybe every other day or so until I come to a part where the chapters (the rough written material I have) needs more than just minor revision. After that, I'll have to figure it out. I'm still working on the Master Challenge after all and that one's still at one chapter a week, so maybe... every six days for Danny Phantom once the buffer's gone? I'll have to think on it more. :)**

**yaissa-chan: Lo del salto en el tiempo creo que es aconsejable que lo utilices siempre y cuando no vaya a ocurrir nada importante, como tu dijiste que la historia trascurriría en un año, si no haces saltos necesarios creo que se extenderás mas de lo debido y perderás el enfoque. **

**Estas son sugerencias nada mas.**

**NoSignal: Thanks for your suggestions :) I'll keep them in mind.**

**NoSignal(Span): ****Gracias por sus sugerencias :) Me mantendré en mente.**


	5. I Like the Sound of That

**Okay sorry for the slight cliff hanger from last chapter.**

**Here we are!**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_We__'__re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness__—__and call it love__—__true love.__"__ ~ Robert Fulghum, True Love._

zzz

Valerie zipped forward and caught Danny partially on her sled. Not even hesitating, she darted away for the forest, hoping Sam and Tucker could find them soon. Almost right when she entered the deep forest around Amity Park's park, two rings of white light washed over Danny and he was Fenton again. She took in a sharp breath of air when she saw what looked like a burn mark wrapped around his left arm, hiding under his t-shirt sleeve. She found someplace to land and carefully transferred her friend to the ground before retracting her suit. She placed her head on Danny's chest briefly and could hear his slow heartbeat.

_At least that's a good sign._

She heard rustling behind her and turned with a weapon drawn before she saw it was Sam and Tucker.

"Sorry, I didn't know who it was," Valerie murmured.

"It's fine," Tucker replied before hurrying over with Sam to look at Danny.

After a moment, Sam spoke, "What did that thing do to him? Danny can you hear me?"

"I don't know. He said something about that Ectopus killing me if it touched me, but he got touched and lived even if it hurt," Valerie replied.

"Danny is a bit more durable than most humans though," Sam murmured and started to pull Danny's shirt to get a better look at the damage. Tucker watched silently and somewhat nervously, but was actually contemplating something carefully.

"Oh Danny…" Sam whispered and put a hand to her mouth. Valerie and Tucker looked over to see the same burn marks streaked a bit around his upper arms, dotted on his chest and when Sam rolled him slightly, streaked across his upper back. It plainly showed where the tentacles had touched him.

"How on earth will he explain those kinds of wounds to anyone?" Valerie murmured and then bit her bottom lip and looked away.

"Danny's had some pretty terrible injuries, so I wouldn't put it completely past him to heal most of this with time. He'll scar, but maybe they'll be faint…" Sam replied, mostly trying to sound hopeful which was odd for her.

Tucker finally seemed to come to some sort of realization. "I think I know what Danny was talking about. I'll have to check and see if I'm right when he wakes up, but I think those Ectopuses are more like jellyfish. Some sort of venom was in that thing and it would've killed Danny, Valerie or anyone if they touched it."

"But Danny's still alive. I mean his heart's still beating," Valerie pressed.

"I think… I think his core saved him. I think that's what that light was. You see his core is right next to or right behind Danny's heart. We aren't hundred percent sure which, because we haven't seen inside him, but one of those places. The venom would've gone through the arm and into the heart, but his core must've stopped it before it got too close. I don't know why his core would only protect him against this particular kind of venom or whatever, but for some reason his core rejected it, which might give us a clue later about what that thing was exactly," Tucker spoke and then looked at Valerie in slight fear. "Danny saved you're life. You don't have a ghost core to protect your heart."

Valerie paused and sat stock still. "He… he…" Valerie wanted to punch something or cry, but because she couldn't decide which, she simply stared off into the shadows of the forest.

They all flinched when they heard a soft moan.

"Danny?"

"Hey Sam."

zzz

Vlad was really really busy. He'd been watching his surveillance cameras that he'd put up throughout the city as well as several recorded tapes from those same cameras from the past few days.

One of his monitors showed Danny using his new Pyrokinesis, another showed Danny and Valerie's battle against Aragon at the mall, and the last was just finishing being recorded, a video of the purple Ectopus being evaporated by the white aura around Danny.

"So many mixed emotions… Where do I begin Maddie?" Vlad mused and the cat in his lap meowed as she pushed against his chest. He started to pet her as she desired.

"I'm not sure how Daniel was able to learn Pyrokinesis so quickly." Vlad murmured and then formed bit of electricity between his fingers. The static bothered Maddie and she hissed slightly before jumping down and wandering off. "It took me a few years to use my electricity to it's full potential and I prefer it do to it's potency. And while I naturally have a hot core, Daniel seems to be able to utilize both a hot and cold core… I'll need to study this further."

He glanced back up at his screens to see Valerie fighting alongside Danny against Aragon. While Vlad did have many cameras around the city they were very very small and thus couldn't capture sound very easily. He would've made the cameras bigger, but he was pretty sure his constituents for his time in office wouldn't like knowing they were being spied on by their mayor. So he settled for less than great audio quality. He didn't really think he needed sound though; he was pretty good at reading people without it and something about the way Danny and Valerie fought together didn't look like an awkward temporary truce. That and Valerie had been hanging around Danny _Fenton_ more than normal. Wasn't their fling together over?

"Hmm… has my pawn become a turncoat? And if so, why?" Vlad mused and leaned back in his large plush chair. He happened to glance at the last video feed with the purple Ectopus and actually smiled. "At least that is going according to plan." He glanced back over his shoulder and saw a small dome of glass, inside was the Crown of Fire.

"Yes… according to the plan from the start. As if I would've let something like Pariah take me off guard, who does Daniel think he's dealing with?"

zzz

**One Hour Previously**

Deep in the far reaches of the Ghost Zone, in an area few had ventured near for eons, there was something that looked like a Graveyard of sorts. Only one stone sat in the courtyard though, with a single withered tree shading it. It was course like limestone and bleached like the sun from the human world had been baking it for centuries. In the ground, at the base of the headstone, a crack in the earth was forming though it was very small. Purple mist started to escape from the crack in small feeble puffs like something was having trouble breathing. When the earth had cracked, the headstone had been cracked as well damaging the words engraved in the stone and changing it from: "Utinam humanitas non cadat ad Malus." (May Humanity not fall to Malus) to "Malus ut ad humanitatem cadere." (May Humanity fall to Malus). A small Ectopus floated by and noticed the disturbance. Curious, it flew closer. It hovered above the crack calmly, looking at the headstone and around the Graveyard, until suddenly it stopped bobbing and hovered quietly and almost robotically. Slowly the green hue it had, faded to a dark sickening purple.

"Kill…kill…kill…"

zzz

After a while of sitting in the forest and Danny reclaiming his shirt, Danny was able to get up and walk even if pain was etched into his features. Well it looked that way to Sam, but maybe to someone else Danny was merely scowling. He confirmed with Tucker his own suspicions about the Ectopus and it's danger to full humans. They grabbed up their bags from the mall and walked themselves home after deciding to end their day earlier due to the previous events. Eventually, Danny got home and found Jazz, who immediately asked if he was okay. The news had come on saying that bystanders had witnessed the Red Huntress zooming away with an unconscious Danny Phantom, though the station had stated they weren't positive how true the info was since no reporters captured the event. Danny then explained to Jazz what had happened and Jazz had then rushed Danny up to her bathroom to look at his injuries even against his protests. She gave him burn cream to apply and watched him as he applied it and wrapped himself. Earlier that morning before taking a shower was when he'd discarded his old bandages for the gash on his left side that was no longer there; only a faint whitish scar remained. Hopefully after a couple days, the burns would look the same. Danny was sort of glad it was October now and no longer swimming season. He'd have to figure out someway to explain those burn scars by Spring, but for now he had too many things to think off until then.

Maddie and Jack then came home from another meeting with Axion representatives. The family had dinner together, Danny called his friends to put them at ease that he was okay, placed Sam's birthday present in a safe place, and then Danny went to sleep and oddly enough, no ghosts interrupted.

zzz

Tucker paced in his room early the next morning. Last night over web cam, Danny, Sam and he had discussed maybe visiting Frostbite to try and get info on the strange Ectopus they'd encountered. The trio knew Valerie would't be making it this time; she would be spending the day with her father since Sundays were the only days that she and he were both free from work and/or school. Jazz was still working on the finishing touches for her volume two of Ghost Envy and would be leaving tomorrow for University because her allotted break from classes for her independent studies were up. Tucker wanted to go with his friends to Frostbite's, he couldn't think of anything he'd liked more than hanging out with his two best friends, but in truth there was one thing that he wanted.

"I've got to get them together, somehow."

Yesterday he'd noticed something in Sam's behavior; She had been saddened by Danny's wounds and her care for him had bubbled up and a little over her typical walls against her will, fretting about him on the way home from the park, which Tucker had picked up on. Danny was still mister clueless and it always seemed that Tucker could pinpoint what was going on with Sam way before Danny could, which is strange since the kid could technically 'sense' emotions to some degree. Danny was sensitive more than many people, it was his kind heart after all, much like good ol' Mister Fenton that made him who he was, but somewhat like his father, Danny was clueless. But what are friends for after all, hm? Before he'd made up his mind all over again to double his efforts to try and help his two best friends get together, Tucker had thought back on some lessons he'd learned from past mistakes of his, Tucker Phantom and Hotep-Ra being to two most prominent ones, and he knew he could never let any kind of jealousy come between him and Danny. To some degree those mistakes had brought the two even closer together. Fights, goof-ups, dark paths, and things of the like seemed to do that to friends, at least friends like the trio.

So that's why he wanted Danny to be happy, because they had slowly become more than friends. They had become blood brothers in a sense. He had a fear of becoming a third wheel, but he knew two things would stop him from getting angry about it. One they had Valerie now so technically he wouldn't be completely alone even if she didn't know him like Danny and Sam did and second, Danny wouldn't leave him, ever. He maybe clueless, but Danny, unlike his father, was like psychically in tune to when someone was sad or upset; it could be kinda creepy at times. No it was love that Danny seemed oblivious to.

_So maybe the best way isn't forcing them directly like he'd tried verbally to on several occasions… That typically ended with a hurt shin and no progress. They got suspicious too quick._

"Maybe they just need some time alone and together. But what in the world will be my excuse for not going with them to Frostbite's?"

Tucker happened to stop his pacing and glanced over at his table. He saw there was a Chemistry project for school that was due in a couple days. He absolutely despised long term projects that didn't have to do with technology. He deadpanned.

"The things I do for love."

zzz

Danny and Sam were slightly confused when it ended up being just the two of them heading to Frostbite's. Sam was certain that Tucker was up to _something_ though she didn't know what, but Danny simply shrugged and told her to not jump to conclusions, even if Tucker almost never worked on project ahead of time, homework sometimes, projects almost never. What they both decided and agreed on was to visit Frostbite's domain, like planned. First because Sam wanted the large snow creature to look at Danny's burns and make sure everything was okay and second because the Far Frozen had an impressive library that rivaled the Ghost Writer's collection in size, and it wasn't off limits by Walker's 'rules' while the Writer served his sentence. It was where they tended to go now for information on things which they had a sneaking suspicion Clockwork wouldn't tell them about it so soon. He often was able to give them mostly info on Danny since there was no literature on Half-Ghosts until Vlad came along, but other things, he often asked for them to discover on their own. Clockwork also had an impressive collection and was willing to let them look through it if they could find nothing in Frostbite's library.

The two friends collected some equipment, got Sam a coat and had snuck into the lab invisibly since Danny's parents were working there. Danny opened the portal with the genetic lock and slipped in. Maddie had been wearing protective gear while she worked on something so she didn't hear the portal doors move. Jack had perked up and looked around suspiciously.

zzz

"I usually don't like floating through here without protection from the Spector Speeder, but we can only use the distraction tactics on my parents so often," Danny spoke as he glanced around cautiously.

"It's fine. I like this mode of transportation best anyways." Sam smiled even if Danny couldn't see it. She repositioned herself and grabbed Danny's arm for support while she shifted her weight, only for him to flinch hard. She realized she'd grabbed one of the burns on the upper part of his right arm. "Oh Danny, I'm so sorry!"

Danny smiled. "It's fine. You comfortable now?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. She flushed slightly when she felt Danny's arms wrap around her waist more securely. He could just be making sure she didn't slip, but she couldn't help but wish it meant more.

"Hey look, after about ten minutes, Far Frozen appears!" Danny smirked as they neared the frozen land. They touched down on the snowy ground and they heard a specific horn blow. It was the People of the Frozen's way of signaling a friendly, and not just any friendly, the Great One had arrived.

"Sounds like the welcoming party should be here soon," Sam teased.

"Yeah I guess. I don't know why they think so highly of me. I know I helped stopped Pariah, but without Vlad there with the Skeleton Key… I would've failed," Danny returned.

"It's because you were brave enough to try and willing to give your half-life for us, Great One," Frostbite replied as he trudged up to them.

"Yeah I guess." Danny shrugged modestly.

Frostbite gave a big toothy smile. "I want to see it. Please Great One, show us your eternal flame."

Danny perked up and Sam seemed surprised. Several other yetis stood nearby, curiously watching.

"How'd-" Danny started.

"Hakan is an old acquaintance of mine. He hasn't been around as long as I, but we see eye to eye on many things, with the major exception of you. I believe your existence to be almost entirely a good thing."

"Heh, good to know," Danny replied nervously.

Frostbite laughed. "Truth be told it's been… eons and eons since any ghost has seen a new ghost which can switch between a cold and hot core. Most often you either receive one or the other. Vortex is one of the oldest ghosts and one of the only ones still in existence which can do this same thing, which gives him his access to his weather powers."

"Really?" Sam asked in surprise. "Why _is_ it that virtually all ghosts can't switch? Is it purely an emotion thing? It can't be because then Vortex couldn't do what he does."

Frostbite nodded. "Indeed you are correct. While the main reason the Great One here can use both is due to his half human status, there is also another important thing that can determine whether one can access both a hot and cold core. That is power potential. Vortex is a very ancient ghost like Undergrowth, Nocturne, Clockwork, the Observants, and a few others. Because of merely how the energy was separated and divided up in the beginning, all these ghosts received a great deal of power. These great stores of power allow for them to access both their cores, thought not all of them can do it easily… especially as easily as you, Great One."

"Huh? Wait, I can do it easy? Like it's much harder for some of those ghosts?" Danny asked.

"Indeed, you seem to have hardly any trouble with the switch. Even Hakan was stumped by your quick progress. I suppose he didn't believe me when I told him you learned your Cyrokinesis in a day and a half! Ha!" Frostbite laughed.

"Why can I do it so easy?" Danny asked.

Frostbite frowned, "It seems only Clockwork is aware of the why and he is very guarded about that information for whatever reason."

"Oh, gotcha." Danny nodded and frowned slightly. He shook his head and smiled. "Okay, ghost fire coming up!" Danny floated up into the air and after a split second, he'd switched cores. He then concentrated and orange and white fire formed around his body and he took off flying around like a comet.

Sam smiled watching him enjoying himself and the other yetis oo'd and aw'd at his brief display. Danny stopped, pulled the fire inside, and switched back to his cold core.

"Brilliant! Masterful!, Great One! You've learned so quickly!" Frostbite shouted. He looked down at Danny and Sam standing next to each other and nodded. "So why have you two graced us with your presence?"

Sam frowned a bit. "Danny got attacked by something yesterday. It didn't set off his ghost sense and yet it looked like an Ectopus. It left burns on Danny's body whenever it's tentacles touched him and we're pretty sure there was some sort of venom in it that Danny's core rejected. His core protected his human heart. We're fairly certain it could have killed a human with one touch."

Frostbite nodded and listened carefully. "So I imagine you'd like me and my staff to look him over and you want to check out the archives for clues to the identity of this mysterious creature."

"That's right." Sam nodded and smiled.

Danny spoke up, "I really feel fine, Sam."

"Even so, let us make sure everything is in order, Great One," Frostbite expressed. Danny sighed.

"I'll start looking in the library, okay?" Sam smiled and placed a hand on his arm. Danny nodded and smiled. They separated with Danny following after Frostbite and Sam being lead off by another yeti with small round glasses towards the library.

zzz

He walked into the infirmary behind Frostbite. Another yeti was in another room nearby gathering things. Frostbite turned and smiled. "Alright then, please do remove your suit in your ghost form and your outer clothes in human form so that I can see the burns in both forms."

Danny nodded and walked over to a corner of the room with a curtain. Once he pulled the curtain around him he reached near his neck and felt around for the zipper on his hazmat suit. It was an odd feeling to step out of his suit. There had been very few times that he'd ever been out of his suit while in ghost form. He wasn't exactly sure how the clothes from his ghost or human form disappeared or how sometimes they would swap, like when shrunken down with Dash or using his Ghostly Wail the first few times, but he didn't ask many questions about that. Finally he found the super durable and thin plastic zipper and pulled. Once he found himself out of the suit and bandages and only in his boxers… the same _colored_ boxers he'd worn the day of his accident three years ago, he transformed into his human form and chuckled seeing his white t-shirt, jeans, and red sneakers he'd chosen that day.

"Deja vu, huh?" Danny mused as he took off the clothing, the bandages weren't there this time. Once in his boxers again which were a different color than the others, he left the safety of the curtain, and shivered a bit. Even with his cold core, the yetis sure kept their home chilly.

Frostbite looked at him as he approached and could see the burn marks wrapped about the young man's upper body and left arm like a snake.

"I certainly see why your dear friend was concerned. These look painful," Frostbite spoke and gave a pitying frown. He then gestured to a table as the other yeti came forward. "Let us get to work."

zzz

She really loved Frostbite's library. It had so many tales of Ghosts and other things regarding the Ghost Zone and the dark and mysterious things there were. The bad part was, when trying to find info about this Ectopus creature, she wasn't sure where to start.

"I would suggest trying to look for the Ghost Encyclopedia volume number five for E. If you don't find anything there… then it might be more difficult to figure out where to look since we don't know what caused the mutation in the ghost or whatnot."

Sam nodded at the bespectacled yeti, "You check out the Encyclopedia. I want to check out any books that talk about ghost cores. That's the only other clue we have at the moment, that whatever altered the Ectopus made it easily able to be destroyed by some latent power in ghost cores or something like that."

The yeti agreed and lumbered off while Sam went down the aisle he said would have a couple books on ghost cores. She gaze over spine after spine before coming to find a book titled, _The Nature of Ghost Cores_. She plucked it from it's place and walked over to sit in a chair to read.

It was an hour later, when she felt like she'd looked through the book enough. She'd learned couple things, but neither were very helpful towards figuring out what was odd about the Ectopus and predictably the Encyclopedia had no mention of any rare kind of Ectopus that was purple in color.

"So any luck?"

Sam looked behind her to see Danny standing there in his human form, smiling.

"Hey, how are you?" Sam asked and stood to turn and face him.

"I'm fine Sam. Frostbite said they seem to only be burn marks now. They'll scar and fade mostly away eventually." Danny smiled brightly but stopped when he saw the sadness in Sam's eyes. When she realized he was looking at her, searching her face for that sadness again, she turned away and pulled the book out from the chair she'd been in.

"Anyways, I found a couple of interesting things, but nothing that helps with figuring out what was wrong with that Ectopus. For example, when ghosts overshadow _each other_ it can be kinda dangerous to either party. Which ever ghost has greater mastery over their powers can manipulate the weaker one's core, corrupt the other's core, or simply absorb the other ghost entirely as a spare energy source," Sam spoke.

"Ew… that's like eating a ghost," Danny grimaced.

"Yeah. The other thing is that a ghost core never becomes weaker or stronger, only it's owner's ability to control it's energy changes. The core you're given is the one you keep for all time with the exception of gaining magical artifacts to increase one's power," Sam finished and shut the book. "A few good things to remember, but nothing about a crazy purple Ectopus."

Danny nodded, "Maybe when we have time again, we'll go talk to Clockwork about it. Who knows, maybe it was just some weird fluke… I mean all we can do is wait at this point and see what happens."

Sam nodded and Danny walked behind her as she went to put the book back in its place. He noticed the sad look in Sam's eyes again and frowned. "Sam what's wrong?"

He stopped when she turned and placed a hand on his arm. Her fingertips lingered on the end of the burn mark that adorned his left arm; it stopped a little bit below his short sleeve.

"Do they hurt as much now? Did Frostbite give you something?" Sam asked evenly.

Danny nodded, "Just a little something, that and I'm always healing." He gave a smirk. His face dropped into a more somber look again when Sam gazed up at him. After watching her look over his face for a few moments, he saw her own face suddenly grow determined. "Sam you know you can tell me anyth-"

He was halted in his words when Sam's lips were suddenly on his. Frostbite had motioned to the other yeti with glasses to follow him. They both left the library with a happy smile on their faces.

Her hands wrapped around his hands. Only a second or two passed before Danny reciprocated and let her know he felt the same. They seemed to suddenly find themselves leaning against a bookcase making out for real for the first time. It was sort of like someone had started a slow fire long ago and just had suddenly decided to pour some gasoline on it. Their hands roved about a bit hesitantly, Danny's eventually resting at Sam's waist and Sam's eventually resting around Danny's neck with one hand tangled in the hair on the back of his head. They were both taking short gasps of air only when they had too, though a couple times Sam had to remind Danny that she couldn't hold her breath like he could. They finally broke apart and rested their foreheads together.

"You need to shave soon," Sam mumbled. Danny barked out a laugh in amusement at her request.

"Will do." Danny smirked. "Will you be mine, Sam?"

"If you'll be mine, Danny."

"That's easy."

"Yeah same here."

They went at it again and on the second go they explored each other's mouths for the first time. Danny enjoyed the activity so much that he temporarily lost control of his core and switched from cold to hot. Sam felt the heat start to get more intense around them and she nudged Danny slightly, which helped him switch right back to cold if accidentally a bit too cold for a moment. The temperature change was abrupt and Sam wasn't certain she could say she didn't enjoy it. Eventually they slowed to a stop. Sam pulled her back away from the bookcase and rested her head on Danny's right shoulder near the crook of his neck and he rested his head on top of hers.

"We need to go don't we?" Danny asked.

"Uuuugh," Sam muttered.

Another brief silence came and went.

"Why did you kiss me?" Danny whispered.

"I… I was tired of waiting and you know how proactive I am. I really really care about you a lot Danny."

Danny nodded barely and then spoke, "I'm sorry if I hurt you for not saying anything… I was too cowardly to say something the other day."

"In front of my house? I was pretty certain that's what you'd wanted, but… that tiny bit of doubt for me was so much stronger then."

"I'm sorry Sam."

"Don't be. We were both afraid for a while… not only that but you show enough courage for ten people, Danny. I think your hesitancy to ask me… can certainly be easily forgiven. I mean… to be with someone like me and-"

Sam was interrupted by a kiss from Danny.

"Don't say that."

"Don't say what-"

He kissed her again. "Don't say anything about who you are Sam, because I like you just like you are. I told you before there are a bunch of reasons a guy could like you."

"But-"

He kissed her a third time. "No buts." He then smirked as he started to kiss her with little pecks each time she tried to reply until she started to laugh and finally gave up.

"Okay OKAY!" Sam yelled with a smile and placed her entire hand over his face to stop him from kissing her again. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to come up with any excuse to kiss me." Danny's big blue eyes blinked back at her between her fingers and she heard his muffled voice.

"Mae - hbee."

Eventually the pair collected themselves and prepared to leave. Frostbite unknowingly embarrassed them when he congratulated them on their togetherness. Danny thanked the yeti chief for his help and time.

As Danny and Sam left the Far Frozen and disappeared, some of the yetis noticed their chief shiver.

"Frostbite, sir? Are you okay?" One of them asked.

Frostibite ignored them momentarily and looked deep into the Ghost Zone. "Something… feels wrong. I have absolutely no idea what… but something's wrong."

zzz

Back at the graveyard like area, the puffs of purple smoke had become a stream of smoke pouring from the ground in front of the grave-marker. Suddenly, the ground cracked more and a human sized cloud of purple smoke slipped from the ground and moved a bit away before setting on the ground in the general shape of a human. It glanced back at the headstone even though it had no eyes and then floated away leaving the graveyard quiet and still.

zzz

In the Observants' Halls and more specifically in a large office or sorts, a important and somewhat one-sided talk slash yelling match was occurring. It depended on which being you asked.

"Can't you sense it, Clockwork? A darkness that is forming? It's coming back after so many years, it's coming back!"

Clockwork stood, talking with three Observants in the office. The rest of their brothers and sisters hadn't been told. Only the three Observants in charge were present to talk with Clockwork. They were more powerful and could more easily sense disturbances before they came; they could see down the road of the future much farther.

"I don't only sense it. I know what it is, why it's here, what it wants, how it's formed, how it will be stopped… or how it might not be stopped. I do believe you all forget sometimes that I can see all things, Vigilate," Clockwork replied as he turned into his older self.

Another of the three, named Videre, spoke next. "I know why… It's that boy. That boy that you harbor and protect. The one you favor because of your bias! I don't know why you care so much for one life, but you are stepping out of your bounds! He should've been dealt with. Now we not only have to monitor him constantly, but his alternate future is now freed from the course of the boy's timeline. He could kill the boy and still exist! He's unstoppable now. Getting rid of the boy was our only sure fire way of destroying that monster."

Clockwork sighed. "I know these things. I do not favor the boy. I have no bias and have not been aiding him beyond limits. I know that the one known as Dan Phantom is now separate from the boy's fate, but as I said before they are both my responsibility. What you are all unaware of is how important my choices will be in preventing disaster."

The last of the three Observants, Lacrimalis, spoke third with a feminine voice, "You're playing a dangerous game, Time-keeper."

Clockwork had to prevent a smile from coming to his face, knowing that would only anger the beings he was trying to calm; they just didn't seem to understand no matter how many times he told them, that he could see all things. He replied, "It's not too dangerous to gamble when you know the likelihood of each outcome. The main outcome will be good as possible for the whole, Wormhole will make sure the other outcomes are contained in their own dimensions and or destroyed by loops or decisions made, after all what never occurred can never be and Reaper will of course manage the souls."

"Wormhole seems to have trouble doing his job, allowing Dan to skip between space and time to try and assure his future. You both failed in that account," Videre growled.

"Wormhole… was willing to listen to my wishes and agreed to help me." Clockwork shifted into his child form.

"What!? He also disobeyed us!?" Vigilate snapped.

"We aren't required to listen to you. We are willing to listen. We aren't trying to do wrong, dear Observants. We are, believe it or not, trying to do the most good. Even Reaper is starting to see why the half-deads should be allowed to live." Clockwork shifted back into his middle-aged form.

The three Observants whispered to each other before Lacrimalis spoke, "Very well, you are dismissed for the time being." They all still seemed upset and maybe angry long after Clockwork bowed and floated away.

zzz

Back at Clockwork's lair, Clockwork floated towards his Windows of Time but paused and looked over at the thermos that sat in an alcove of his lair with a energy shield in front of it.

Clockwork let a thoughtful look come to his face.

"All is as it should be."

zzz

The next day came and Jazz was packing her things to start her drive back to her University. Jazz could've gotten into Yale, Harvard, or many other places, but she had started to grow a specified interest in the psyche of ghosts, and the effect ghosts have on the psyche of humans and none of those places had enough courses on the supernatural for her personal needs. In response, she'd settled for humble little Eastern Amity University which was a couple hours east from Amity Park itself. It was while she was folding another shirt when she heard a tiny explosion from Danny's room. She got up and rushed over to his room. When she opened it up, she saw Danny sitting on the floor.

Danny had several pieces of completed ghost ice crystals behind him. His face though was dusted with something charcoal-looking and sported a few stray cuts. His hands had taken the same treatment his face had. He looked up at her in alarm before seeing it was her. He let out a sigh after he unfroze from shock.

"Geez can't you knock? You gave me a heart-attack." Danny grumbled and tried to rub the dust off his face and hands, smearing a tiny bit of blood.

"Oh yeah, because when I hear an explosion from my brother's bedroom I remember to knock," Jazz replied and rolled her eyes. "What are you doing?"

Danny suddenly blushed slightly and looked behind him at the crystals, "Um… making Sam's birthday gift. It's a necklace of ghost ice, but I was wanting one to have an ember of ghost fire in it, you know as a pendant… It's not working out too well."

Jazz looked at the crystals behind Danny and suddenly grew excited. "Oh Danny! That's so wonderful! I know she'll love it." She looked up at Danny's face and saw he was still blushing and glancing at his own hands with a smile. She watched for a few more moments before she spoke. "Oh my gosh."

Danny glanced up at her in confusion. "What?"

"You two finally are together."

Danny seemed to panic. "Wait what!?"

"You two totally are an item now, aren't you!?" Jazz exclaimed and started to jump up and down.

Danny blushed fiercely and mumbled something under his breath.

"What's that?"

He mumbled again.

"I can't hear you Danny."

"We are."

There was quiet until Jazz practically tackled her brother in a hug. "Oh Danny I'm so proud of you both! I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad! They've been waiting for this too!"

"Ah geez do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" Danny squirmed. "I know when we tell Tucker he's going to really going to have a heyday."

"Yes I do, but don't be ashamed! This is good! You two will be a great couple, embrace it!" Jazz replied.

"Okay okay, I've got to get to school. Travel safe to University." Danny smiled and hugged his sister back. He almost engulfed her in his arms with how he'd grown. He was already a tad taller than her.

"I will. Tell Sam I'm proud and happy for you both."

"Okay."

So Jazz went back to packing and Danny hid the completed crystals away, cleaned up, grabbed his backpack and flew to school.

zzz

"There's nothing that could make this day bad for him is there?" Sam muttered in irritation.

"With the amount of money he's hinting at getting for shamelessly betting on us, nope," Danny replied and squeezed Sam's hand tighter. Even though the day was a bit warmer than a few before, Danny was having to wear a sweatshirt to hide any possible view of his new scars from the Ectopus. He'd even shaved himself like he'd promised Sam and no budding stubble could be found. And what's more, he'd done it without his dad's help; his dad had been in the lab with his mother working on something anyways and he hadn't really wanted to interrupt them.

Sam on the other hand hand on the ring that Danny had asked her to hold onto. The new couple had talked a long time last night over video chat and Sam had reminded him about the ring and Danny had explained that his dad had actually engraved Sam into the ring and not Wes like Sam had thought. She couldn't have been happier when he'd asked her teasingly if she'd keep it for a while longer and maybe wear it if she wanted.

Tucker was marching in front of both the happy Danny and Sam with the largest grin ever plastered on his face.

_Oh I forgot to mention one other tiny reason I wanted Danny and Sam together, the moolah._

People were staring at the young man as he walked though the halls. Some seemed to understand his odd behavior when they noticed Danny and Sam holding hands. It was fairly common knowledge at Casper High that Danny and Sam had seemed to have liked each other for a long time and the rumor or idea of it had gotten stronger the last few months.

The trio made their way to their lockers and people started murmuring. Tucker immediately went into action, finding all the people who'd bet with him so he could collect his money.

Paulina and Star were a distance away watching Danny and Sam talk and laugh to each other about Tucker while he was doing his thing.

zzz

"Paulina, I was just wondering like why you'd want to date Danny… I mean, technically you've been on a date or two with him before. They seem like really happy together," Star spoke and glanced between Danny and Paulina worriedly. She saw Valerie approach Tucker and drag him back over to Danny and Sam, who laughed at her actions.

"It's simple, Star. I've had and broken the heart of every decent looking boy in this school. I toyed with Danny before, since he was a geek. Now though, he's decent so I have to move in soon," Paulina replied as she watched Sam and Danny closely before the four friends started to walk towards their first classes.

"Can't you like make an exception just this once? You'd have to break Danny and Sam apart to date Danny even temporarily."

"So? That should be easy. I've stolen him from her before. That goth girl doesn't know boys like I do. I don't care how much history those two have."

"I thought you loved Phantom? What if he sees you with Danny?"

"Star, I think you're getting confused. It's basic stuff. I make myself look desirable, guys get jealous. Phantom's a hero so he doesn't get all that jealous but he'll fall in love when he sees I'm the most beautiful and desired girl in Amity or even that he's ever seen," Paulina replied and batted her eyelashes as she sighed in a comical dream-like manner. "It's just like the movies, the handsome hero and beautiful heroine always make it to the end and fall in love! Just like my Papa always said."

Star frowned slightly, "Paulina… I think you're a bit misguid-"

"Star, star- star… I'm the teacher, you're the student. Just watch and learn. Within a few days if not immediately, Danny Fenton will be wrapped around my little finger."

zzz

The school day went on normally, though right in the middle of last period, Danny went to the restroom to go and fight the Lunch Lady. He walked out of the boys' bathroom and almost shot Paulina with an Ectoblast when she suddenly was there and had said his name.

"Hey there, Danny."

He jumped a bit at the sudden company and then sighed to relax. "Geez Paulina… wait, Paulina? What are you doing here? Don't you have Math right now with Mrs. Matthews?"

"I needed to use the little girl's room, then I saw you and wanted to talk," Paulina replied and smiled sweetly.

Danny gave her a confused look. "Ohhkay?"

Paulina walked closer and smiled, "I was just wondering… you see there's this party in a few weeks. It's at the start of November, you know? Even your little friends, Sam and Tucker can come. It's one of two big parties we're having to kinda celebrate our class graduation coming in June." She placed a hand on Danny's arm. "I would _love_ to see you there." She then turned and started to walk away when Danny reached out and grabbed her arm. Paulina smirked before she turned to face him. _Gotcha._ She then faced Danny and was slightly surprised by the intensity in his face.

"Paulina, are you wanting to say something to me?" Danny asked seriously and studied her face.

She smiled and batted her lashes. "Well truth be told… I'm not sure how to say this… but I think I like you Danny. Dash was great before we broke up, but you actually have some intellect. I felt like I was talking to a brick wall with him." She slipped her arm out from Danny's flabbergasted grasp and placed her hands on top of both of his shoulders and slowly started to slide them behind his neck.

Danny tensed and was about to speak when Paulina cut him off.

"Goodness! Danny… have you been working out?" Paulina asked and started to twirl a small bit of Danny's hair at the nape of his neck.

His cheeks flared red against his will and he gulped. "Uh Paulina, look I… I can't…" He paused and closed his eyes. He took a breath to steady his speaking which confused Paulina and then looked at her. "I'm dating Sam and I care a lot about her." He gently grabbed her hands from behind his neck and pulled them away. "I appreciate the offer… but I just don't really have a crush on you anymore. Ultimately some guys are looking for a girl that cares about them like Sam cares for me. I don't think this… is some kind of fling for me or her." He looked up and gave a kind smile. "I know you'll find someone, it just wont be me." He nodded at her stunned face and turned and walked back towards his class.

After he was gone, Star ran over to Paulina from a place she'd been hiding and spoke. "I think he's like pretty serious, Paulina."

Paulina laughed and Star cocked her head at her friend's response.

"Don't worry, Star. It's not over. Did you see how flustered he got when I got close? Danny's a modest fellow, everyone knows it. He doesn't even like to shower with the other guys after gym. I'm just going to have to put on a little more pressure. He's a guy, he'll crack eventually. All I need to do later is damage control. I've got to pretend to accept his response and get him and his friends to still come to the party and then I'll deal the final blow."

Paulina smiled at her friend and walked off. Star lagged behind and spoke to herself. "Something about this feels… wrong." She then sighed and jogged to catch up to Paulina.

zzz

"She. did. WHAT!?" Sam growled out loud as the four friends walked away from the school after the final bell had rung.

"Easy Sam, I told her no and sent her on her way…" Danny replied and scratched the back of his neck. "I just don't know what brought this on so suddenly." Danny stared at the ground in thought while Sam was still steaming slightly. Valerie placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and whispered softly.

"I told you she wouldn't hold a candle to you in Danny's mind," Valerie spoke and then winked. Sam seemed to relax and then calmed herself down.

Tucker was busy counting his wad of money from his betting earnings. "She probably is just starting to realize that you've grown some, dude. You're finally a stud like me."

Danny chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Right…" He shook his head when he heard Tucker grumble about Mr. Lancer trying to hide from him all day to avoid paying up for his part in the bet.

"No she's just shallow. She wants to have every guy and then break them and make them feel beneath her," Sam spoke up and crossed her arms.

"Well I hope she learns her lesson one day. She'll get hurt if she suddenly finds herself alone, with no friends," Danny murmured.

"Danny, you're way too kind, you know that?" Sam sighed.

Danny smiled halfheartedly at her. "Sorry, just can't help it." He looked off towards a sidewalk on the other side of the street to see people walking both ways. "When you've seen your life flash before your eyes a few times… It's hard not to want to give everyone… a second chance."

The others fell silence for a brief moment before Valerie spoke up, "Look, Danny… I just wanted to thank you for taking the hit for me from that Ectopus thing. I didn't get to properly thank you before. You made me madder then hell but I'm still grateful."

Danny smiled. "It's fine, Valerie. I mean, I was pretty sure I wasn't going to die and I was pretty sure you were. It was kinda a no-brainer for me really."

"Yoohoo! Danny!"

The four friends froze in their tracks. They were just about to exit school grounds completely, when Paulina's voice had reached their ears. A few students turned and looked at Danny's group as well as Paulina approaching with Star. Sam could see the confusion in some of the girls faces when Paulina approached; most were aware by the end of the day, that Sam and Danny were a couple. The boys in the courtyard seemed intrigued, like they were about to maybe watch a cat fight since Paulina wasn't used to not getting her way, which Sam wasn't certain a cat fight wouldn't happen if Paulina pulled the same stunt Danny had mentioned, right in front of her.

"Yes Paulina?" Danny asked patiently and slipped a hand into one of his pockets causally; the other was holding Sam's hand.

"I was just wanting to apologize. I shouldn't have done what I did earlier today. I suppose I was just a little sad that I let a guy like you get away from me. I do hope what I did won't deter you or any of your friends from coming to the party though," Paulina responded.

Danny frowned slightly. "It's… okay Paulina and we'll see if we can make it. We'll certainly think about it."

Paulina smiled. "Oh good. Well see you all later then." She happened to glance over at Sam and almost flinched at the murderous look in the goth's eyes. She and Star walked away.

"She's kidding, right?" Sam muttered.

Danny shrugged. "She seems to be up to something… I don't know. We have time to think about it though."

The four friends walked down the road and Danny spoke again.

"I need to go ahead and get home. I'm gonna fly from here. I have something I need to uh work on." He was stumbling over his words.

Sam cocked an eyebrow. "You're not acting suspicious at all."

Danny laughed a bit nervously and spoke a bit high-pitched, "See ya at your birthday party, Sam." He then tried to phase through a wall, invisibly and his friends heard an- "Ouch."

"Did you do invisibility and forget intangibility again?"

"No."

"Danny…"

"Maybe?"

Sam laughed a bit and then Danny Phantom appeared flying over the wall. He flushed slightly after glancing in frustration at the offending wall and zoomed off.

"What was that about?" Valerie questioned and put her hands on her hips.

"Probably trying to work on Sam's birthday present," Tucker replied as he typed calculations on his PDA, most likely looking for which bank had the best interests rates for his betting earnings. He then slapped his forehead. "That was supposed to stay in my mind! Stupid Foley, stupid, stupid, stupid."

"My… birthday present?" Sam asked as a bit of pink came to her cheeks.

"Mmmm You've got yourself a sweet boyfriend, Sam." Valerie smirked.

"Boyfriend… I like the sound of that." Sam smiled slowly.

Valerie and then waved. "I'm off, see ya at your house, Sam. Your birthday's tomorrow, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, just remember that my parents will probably wonder who the heck you are and try to be rude. Just yell for me and I'll save you." Valerie laughed and walked off. Soon Tucker and Sam said goodbye to each other and went their own ways as well.

**zzzzzzzzzzzz**

**Okay Danny's fine, see? And he even gets a girlfriend! That's right, the two lovebirds are together now. Though now we also see some insight into where the odd Ectopus came from and we learn that Vlad's scheming and so is Paulina.**

**So I hope you liked the chapter and tell me if you guys still like how this is going. To be honest, It's been a while since I've watched a lot of the Danny Phantom episodes, and so I'm a bit rusty on everyone's characters. I've started re-watching some of the episodes, but I've got a ways to go. So yeah, I technically do wanna make them act a bit older too, so a bit OOC, since this story is kinda if they'd been aging over three years in the show.**

**Okay I'm done now. **

**zzzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**TheWorldOfUniversalPower: Maybe do a chapter on Danny and Tucker playing the Danny Phantom game?**

**NoSignal: Maybe not a whole chapter. I'll see what I can do though. :)**

**yaissa-chan: diosa esta genial, sera que al ser danny medio fantasma le protegio? dioses quien sera el que crea a esos ectopus? estoy esperando con ansias el proximo capitulo**

**NoSignal(Span): Espero que este capítulo respondió sus preguntas :)**

**NoSignal: I hope this chapter answered your questions :)**

**Savirox: Wah ! That's so cool ! Are they demons or something ?**

**NoSignal: I'll go ahead and clarify now that they're not demons persay. However the ghosts' soul has been corrupted.**

**Great: [Mentioned the fact that I have two big stories that are ongoing]**

**PS Why do I think that Vlad will ally himself with Dan? And maybe Danny is crowned as King of Ghosts?**

**PSS Have you ever seen a series named 'Dragon Booster' and how they promised us a sequel but never made it?**

**NoSignal: Yeah don't worry. In fact, I just updated Kalos Arc. It's still at a chapter a week. Haven't decided regular updates for this story yet, except every other day until my buffer is gone. I don't abandon stories just because I get tired of an idea or anything, which technically I'm not tired of Master Challenge by far. I just felt that since I was getting within the last travel Arc and then the last two or one Arc of the story (five Arcs done and under my belt) that I could allow myself this story too. As for your PS questions, I can't answer the first couple for obvious reasons but the PSS one, well I've actually never heard of Dragon Booster before, but I do sympathize. I don't like it when a show ends before its time. I think Danny Phantom had been planned to go on for another couple seasons but they had to end it with Phantom Planet instead. Anywho, I hope this quells your worries and answers some of your questions :)**

**zzzzz**

**Thanks everyone for reading, reviewing, fav'ing, following, and being awesome.**

**~NoSignal**


	6. The Language of the Dead

**The next chapter, Huzzah!**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_My self-worth is not linked to your cruel words and actions. My self-esteem is not affected by your deliberate attempts to destroy my character. You have no power over me. You will not silence me.__"__ ~ Marina Cohen, Dear Bully: Seventy Authors Tell Their Stories_

zzz

The next day at school was mostly uneventful and as evening started to come, everyone invited to Sam's birthday party started to move towards her home for the party her parents had decided to throw. The party was of course high class since her parents would never have it any other way and as a side effect of her not mentioning her and Danny's relationship to them, she was mortified to find out that Pamela had invited several young men or what she called 'suitors' to the party. Sam really hoped that Danny and the others would get there soon.

She was walking down the stairs towards the large den when she heard the doorbell ring. Several adults and their kids from the country club were already there, so she was hopeful that it was Danny or one of her other friends at the door. She had on her dark purple dress she'd gotten from the Skulk and Lurk and had pulled a bit of her hair back into a flat ponytail. As she made her way around the bottom steps and headed towards the door, a voice halted her.

"Samantha, how wonderful to see you again."

Sam froze in slight shock and anger at not only being called Samantha, but also by the familiar tone the voice had. She turned slowly and came face to face with someone she hadn't seen in years, Nicolaas Bakker. He was someone her mother had introduced her to ages ago. He was high class and perfect in every way, just like her parents wanted. The most cynical part of Sam believed her parents only wanted her to marry him one day as to have _him_ as their son. The Bakkers had known her family since her Grandmother's era. Nicolaas had on a lighter blue suit and tie that matched his grey-blue eyes that always seemed cold to Sam; his blond hair was combed neatly to the side. He had the shallowness of Paulina but his intellect was far greater. In fact, he was on par with Sam and they tended to be constantly trying to out play each other. It was a domination thing for him and it made Sam madder than anything.

"I guess it has been a while, excuse me. I need to get the door," Sam spoke curtly and tried to walk away.

"Hm, Sam before you go, I'd like you to take a quick look at your present. I'm quite nervous about whether or not you'll like it. You know, since we haven't seen each other in so long."

Sam hissed slightly under her breath before a little sigh escaped her. "Fine, wha-" She paused when she felt something cold and a little heavy go around her neck. She glanced down and could see it was a gold necklace with several diamonds set on it; A much larger diamond nestled between the other diamonds as a pendant.

"A type of luxury only people like us can enjoy, Samantha. Isn't it beautiful? Diamonds reflect the beauty of their wearers."

Sam honestly was not really excited about the piece. It was just metal and carbon… meaningless really.

"It's very nice, Nicolaas." She managed to choke out. He seemed suspicious of her answer but backed off.

"Good." He silently watched her walk away from him and towards the door. She opened it and saw Valerie and Tucker arguing about something on her doorstep. Valerie had on her dress she'd bought at the mall and Tucker was wearing a dark green suit and tie; he'd wanted to go with white to be super flamboyant as always but he didn't like the idea of looking like the GiW.

"Nicknaming your PDAs is an issue, Tucker. I understand your love for technology but you need to draw a line."

"Ah come on, Ginger never did anything to you."

"Guys?"

Valerie and Tucker turned and laughed nervously at the smiling Sam. They followed her inside.

"Nice bling you got there, Sam." Tucker grinned and gestured to the necklace around her throat.

"Oh it's um… something Nicolaas gave me. Guys I need help. Mom brought like four different suitors here including someone I thought was ancient history!"

"Excuse me?" Valerie asked and placed her hands on her hips.

"She doesn't know about Danny and I being together. By the way, where is Danny?" Sam asked.

"Either A working on finishing your gift or B a ghost popped up." Tucker sighed.

"Or C all of the above." Valerie mentioned.

"It's seems I'm unfamiliar with your friends here, Samantha."

The three friends flinched and turned to see Nicolaas standing behind them or perhaps hovering.

Sam frowned. "They're my close friends from Casper."

"Oh yes that school your parents decided for whatever reason to let you go to?"

"It was the other option in Amity other than boarding school like you."

"Morrison High is a great place. I wish you were there. I think you'd come to understand your parents' wishes a lot easier."

"And be brainwashed, no thanks."

"Now Samantha…"

They paused when they heard the doorbell ring.

"Excuse me." Sam mumbled and walked off to answer it, leaving Tucker and Valerie with Nicolaas. He glanced at the two with a disarmingly charming smile.

"Yeah, and you are?" Tucker nodded.

"Nicolaas Bakker, an old acquaintance of the Manson family and I believe your Mr. Foley and Mrs. Grey, correct?" Nicolaas looked at Valerie. "A true shame that you were so suddenly brought to lesser living standards Mrs. Grey. I do hope your father finds another more reputable job soon."

Valerie narrowed her eyes. "We're perfectly content with what we have."

Nicolaas laughed. "That's what they all say. It's okay to want."

"Dude, not everybody needs excess," Tucker replied, crossing his arms. He knew he already didn't like this guy.

"I suppose you'd know?" Nicolaas implied craftily.

Tucker and Valerie were glaring at him while he continued to act as though they were continuing a pleasant conversation. All three looked up though when they heard Sam and Danny's voice.

"Sorry for being a bit late. I was finishing up some things."

"It's fine, Danny, really."

Tucker noticed Nicolaas clench a fist and narrow his eyes when he saw Sam subconsciously grab Danny's hand while reassuring him. Danny was wearing a black suit and tie and looked quite sharp.

"Nice necklace."

"Oh yeah… I got it from an old acquaintance today."

"Oh… are… are they real?" Danny murmured, looking at the diamonds, and Sam could see a slightly deflated look in his eyes.

"Of course they are. Only the best."

Danny and Sam glanced up at the other three when Nicolaas had spoke.

"You must be those ghost hunters' son, correct? Aren't they an interesting couple of characters?"

Sam almost immediately felt Danny tense up beside her. People mocking his parents or their professions was a sore subject for Danny and it always seemed that people liked to stoop to that level to get under the boy's skin. She glared at Nicolaas but he merely smiled right at her face.

"They can be goofy but they're great parents," Danny replied simply.

"Ah, they are very lucky to have such a loyal son," Nicolaas answered back.

Danny was going to speak again about the implication of that sentence when Pamela and Jeremy's voice rose above everyone's saying it was time for Sam to open her presents. All of them headed that direction. Sam went to sit and start unwrapping all the gifts there. She got a variety of gifts like clothes, a new computer, and even more jewelry. Valerie had gifted her with a book from the Skulk and Lurk which got some looks from the other guests there and Tucker had gotten her a couple of video games that Danny and he'd been playing together and Sam had wanted to join them in.

Danny finally moved closer and passed her a long red box with yellow ribbon. "I hope you like it. It's missing a piece but there's a good reason for it. I need to get one more piece. My uh collection ran out."

Sam cocked her head and opened the box carefully to reveal a string of ghost crystals, each the size of her thumb, on an onyx chain. A spot was empty in the very center where a pendant should be. When she moved the necklace slightly, the crystals clinked together like glass and sparkled in the light. Her mouth was open and she was speechless.

"If you know you don't like it I can try and get something else," Danny murmured and rubbed the back of his neck.

"God Danny, it's gorgeous. Did you make it yourself?" Sam asked.

Everyone in the crowd was silent and Nicolaas looked like he'd been slapped.

"Ye-yeah. I'll tell you more about how, later maybe." Danny smirked.

Sam smiled. "Help me put it on?" Danny smiled back and nodded. She carefully took off Nicolaas' piece; Danny grabbed the two clasps Sam handed to him and he put the necklace on her. She looked back at him after it was set and beamed. "Thank you, Danny."

"What on earth _arrre_ those gems?" A large woman asked, as the man next to her looked through a monocle.

"No gem I've never seen. They're certainly not diamonds."

Danny gulped. "They're uh ghost crystal."

A bunch of murmurs started up around them and Pamela frowned and stepped forward.

"Samantha Manson, take that monstrosity off this instant! Who knows what horrible things it could do to you!?"

"Mom! Calm down! It's fine. They won't hurt me."

"Mrs. Mason, I've kept them close to my person for the last few days and nothing happened. Believe me, they're completely harmless."

Pamela immediately turned on Danny. "You and your parents' uncouth dealings with ghosts and goblins is sick! I will not stand it! Anything about ghosts is revolting, vile, and strange. Such things do NOT belong under my roof or near my daughter."

Sam and her friends could see Danny flinch with each thing she said. Sam started to become enraged knowing just how much her mother was saying was truly hurting Danny.

"Mom, Shut. Up."

The room grew still and Danny looked over at Sam with eyes wide as dinner plates.

"Sah-Sam… don't," Danny spoke. She turned and gave him a strong look.

"No, I will not let her say those kind of things to my boyfriend!"

"Your what!?" Pamela and Jeremy yelled at the same time.

"Sam…" Danny whispered and his eyelids drooped a bit.

Sam grabbed his hand and stood closer to him when she looked back at her parents. "I really really care about Danny and I know he feels the same about me. So get over it. Danny's kind and wonderful to be around."

"Wooh! Go, Bubleh!"

Everyone glanced over and saw Sam's Grandmother sitting in her scooter, smiling at Sam and Danny.

"Daniel's a good boy and a very brave one. I think you couldn't have caught a better fish!" She added.

"Mother!" Jeremy spoke up.

"Oh hush child, I know what I'm talking about. He isn't any sort of ruffian and he really cares for our Sam. If you'd pay more attention you'd know that!" The elderly woman winked at Danny and he cocked his head in slight confusion at her supreme confidence in him.

Danny turned and looked at Jeremy. He made his back straighter and looked the man dead in the eye. "Mr. Manson, sir. I really do care about your daughter a lot. It's taken me a long time to realize how much though. I would like to be in a relationship with Sam, please sir, ma'am." Danny finished by addressing Mrs. Manson as well. Before they could reply, Nicolaas spoke up.

"But will you be able to provide for her. You know, she has a much higher standard of living. I'm not certain you can afford her, Fenton. Those crystals aren't diamonds or even quartz. They're some sort of strange material no rarer than macaroni noodles."

Sam growled, "I'm not for _sale_, Nicolaas. Other than that, that type of crystal is made by only certain ghosts." She glanced very quickly at Danny while smiling and then back to Nicolaas. "He had to collect it over a period of time for a while I'm sure. I love it and that's all that matters to me, not the price."

Nicolaas frowned. "I just don't understand it, Samantha. Why you'd wish to be with someone like him. The choices you've made in life are starting to concern me."

Sam was furious but paused when Danny walked forward. He got to right in front of Nicolaas and realized he was at least half a foot taller than the high class young man. "First off, Sam likes to be called Sam. If you cared about her at all you'd know that or not ignore her wishes. Second, you seriously have control issues. I don't care what you say about me or what you think about me, but if you start judging Sam then we will have a problem."

Nicolaas glared back. "Is that a threat?"

Danny didn't respond.

"Very well. This isn't over though, not yet." Nicolaas replied and walked off into the crowd, picking up his parents along the way and exiting the home.

The rest of the party guests diffused slowly and left awkwardly after that. Danny and Sam said goodbye to Tucker and Valerie and then were confronted by Sam's parents once the house was empty of everyone except Sam's family, Sam and Danny.

Jeremy looked over Danny and spoke flatly. "Daniel, I think it would be best if you left for the time being."

Sam was going to open her mouth but Danny grabbed her hand and looked at her with a smile. He looked Jeremy in the eye again and nodded. "Yes sir. Have a good rest of the evening…" Danny turned and walked out, but not before giving Sam one last smile over his shoulder.

"Samantha…"

_Oh crud._

zzz

Danny walked along the road towards his house in deep thought. Normally he would've flown home, but he needed some time to think to himself about the party. He hoped that Sam had still enjoyed her birthday _some_…

As Danny walked past an alleyway, his ghost sense went off a split second before a strong arm wrapped around his arms and torso and a hand clamped over his mouth. He shouted through the hand-gag before being pulled into the alleyway. There was only one person that could sneak up on him like that and hold him still while he struggled with all his might.

"Hello, Daniel." Vlad spoke from behind. Danny growled since he couldn't form a understandable sentence with Vlad's gloved hand in the way.

"I see you've gained not only a new ability but also a new ally. I'm pretty sure Valerie is no longer going to play the game my way… I may just have to do something about that."

Danny tried to kick Vlad and then started to increase the temperature around the two of them with his hot core. Vlad chuckled lightly. "Daniel, do you know what's hotter than fire? Electricity." He ended his sentence darkly. Soon Danny felt electricity traveling up and down his spine from the place on his back that Vlad was shocking. Danny's muffled scream pierced the air as Vlad halted the attack and continued to talk. "I suppose you could just say this is my way of declaring that I understand and accept the newest rules added to our game. What would she be? A Bishop, surely not… That's more dear Jasmine's game... Maybe a Rook for her one-track mind or a Pawn for her gullible nature? I mean I already know who your Queen and Knight are." Before Danny could growl at that, his head was slammed into the wall of one of the buildings making up the alleyway. He was released at the same time and in seconds, Vlad slipped beneath the earth and was gone. After a moment of lying on the ground, trying to get his bearings back, Danny lifted himself up and and stood wobbly. He clutched the right side of his head and realized the blow had made him bleed.

_Great. Just great. _ Danny walked towards the street after he wiped away some of the blood on his head. The cut was already no longer bleeding and so he took the time to clean himself a bit more and continue towards his home.

zzz

The four people in the den were quietly staring at each other, trying to decide who should speak first and whether that would give them the advantage or the disadvantage. Finally, Sam's parents couldn't hold back anymore.

"You do realize what the people at the Country Club will think now, right, blatantly being rude to Nicolaas and then saying that Fenton boy is your boyfriend?" Pamela replied stiffly. Jeremy was actually being very quiet. Sam was surprised; it seemed Danny's move to look the older man in the eyes had had some kind of effect on her father if only slightly.

"He is not just my boyfriend, but has been my best friend for a very long time. I would trust him with my life," Sam replied effortlessly. "This is the one thing that I will beg you to, for once in your life, grant me without a struggle. This means a lot to me."

"But his family, Samantha, he's simply not good enough for you!" Pamela responded.

Sam bristled at that and rose from her sitting position. Grandma Ida frowned and watched her granddaughter tear into her daughter-in-law.

"Stop that! His parents are kind even if they're goofy, he admits that! Don't ever say he's not good enough! You've hardly had the opportunity to try to know him. You were too busy trying to smear his character!" Sam snapped.

"Samantha, don't speak to me like that!" Pamela retorted.

Quite suddenly Jeremy became part of the equation in a way that confounded Sam.

"Honey, maybe we should give him a shot. He seems serious to me," Jeremy spoke and placed a hand on his wife's arm. He then looked at Sam seriously. "However we'll be watching and if he steps out of line, then we'll have problems. Understood, Sam?"

Sam gaped at her father for a moment before she nodded slowly.

"Jeremy, darling are you sure we can trust that boy?" Pamela murmured.

Sam realized with a jolt that during this conversation, something again surprised her. Her parents, in their own weird and rude way, were trying to give her the best… They thought Danny wasn't good enough not for _them_ but _her _and they were worried about trusting him with _her_. Valerie was right, even if they often really pissed her off and could be callous and rude, never take your parents for granted. Sam happened to lock eyes with Ida and she seemed to notice the pride in her Grandmother's eyes; she knew that Sam had noticed. Ida often tried to be on Sam's team for a lot of fights she had with her parents, but she also tried to explain to Sam why her parents did what they did. Ironically, Sam had been as close-minded as her parents in some ways…

"I suppose we can see, but heed what your father said, Sammy-kins," Pamela spoke and was shocked when her daughter hugged her for the first time in a long while.

"Thanks mom, thanks dad."

zzz

Danny got home and told his family about the party, leaving out some of the things Nicolaas and Pamela had said about him and his parents. Afterwards, he went upstairs and took a shower before talking to Jazz in hushed whispers about his encounter with Vlad on the way home. He'd certainly have to tell Sam, Tucker, and especially Valerie sometimes soon about Vlad's acquired knowledge.

He finally plopped into bed and started to slip into slumber around eleven thirty when his ghost sense fled from his mouth. He sighed and slipped from bed intangibly and flew out of his room before transforming midair, outside. He glanced around for a few moments.

"Who's there!? Show yourself!"

He was answered by a blast of energy to his gut courtesy of Skulker.

"Hello Ghost Child, let the hunt begin again!"

Danny was recovering from crashing into a large public trash bin in the alleyway between his house and his neighbors, when Skulker flew down and grabbed the Halfa by the throat. He pulled his other hand out with a large glowing knife on it and pointed it at Danny's face. Danny responded swiftly and kicked Skulker in the stomach as hard as he could, getting himself released. Danny then switched to his hot core before blasting Skulker with orange flames from his hands. Skulker dodged and stared at Danny quietly, making Danny stop and give him a confused look.

"Skulker? You in there?"

Skulker replied, "You _do_ have control over a cold and hot core then… Such types of ghosts are exceedingly rare. You're even more of a prize than before."

Danny let out a exasperated breath.

Skulker raised his gun and fired again. Danny dropped from the sky by letting gravity take him, to barely miss the laser fired at him. He then cloaked himself in ghost flame and shot at Skulker like a comet, slamming into him again and partially melting a bit of Skulker's suit once more. The difference this time however was Skulker's back up plan. The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter pulled back his right fist as it started glowing with electricity and ecto energy. He pounded it into Danny's side. The teen hero gasped in agony and shot towards the earth as the fire around him vanished. He crashed into the street and immediately transformed back into Fenton. Skulker landed on the ground and marched up to the boy, aiming his cannon weapon to deal the, possibly, ending blow. He paused when he saw Danny's blue eyes gazing up at him. They were half lidded in weakness and yet there was no fear there, if there was it wasn't for his own well-being.

Danny let out a wheeze. "Would you hunt the others? Just enough so that my parents don't have too much on their hands… You wouldn't be doing anything out of the norm."

Skulker rose a brow. "Are you asking me to partially take over your duties if I should kill you?"

Danny didn't respond to that question but asked one himself. "What'd you hit me with?"

Skulker humored him. "A ecto-disruptor. It drained you of a great deal of your power quickly."

"No wonder I feel like crap. Got to give you credit for that one."

Skulker kept his eyes locked onto Danny's before he lowered his weapon. Danny watched as Skulker scowled and seemed to be having an internal battle of some sort before he spoke to the Halfa again. "You better give me a better hunt next time." Skulker then un-expectantly used his jetpack and flew off. Slowly Danny felt his body start to reclaim the energy he'd lost just as he heard his parents running up from the lab in the house. He had just enough power to switch into Phantom and disappear into the ground. He got back into his room and turned back again into human form. He slipped under the covers, waiting for his healing to work on the couple of cracked ribs he was sure he had and he started trying to think of why Skulker had just let him go…

zzz

**A few minutes prior to Skulker's visit**

The kids had gone to bed and the two adult Fentons were working down in the lab. Jack was fiddling around with a new invention of his that would cause sonic waves that would daze ghosts, while Maddie was busy watching all the newest clips they'd gotten about the Ghost Boy. Recently the two parents had been considering, she used that word hesitantly, rethinking their view on him. He had seemed to have gotten into a regular schedule of helping people and hadn't done anything suspicious in the last month or so. On the flip-side, she still wanted to dissect him and understand why he was so different from the other ghosts. His power too was growing and that worried her more than anything; for if he was just waiting for the right time to strike, Maddie wasn't sure she and her husband could handle it. She'd never seen a ghost, with the ability to switch between cores, up close before. She had a theory that powerful ghosts could do it, since she'd gotten some numerical data from the Tornado ghost; she would have gotten data on some others she'd seen but alas the large Plant ghost had had her under control and the Wisconsin Ghost was difficult to predict. She watched a few clips of the Ghost Kid using his new fire powers and as she did, she paused the footage to zoom in on something she thought she saw.

_There it was… _

"Stubble?" Maddie asked aloud and got Jack's attention.

"Hm? Oh well I was letting it grow out a bit so I could properly show Danny-boy how to shave!"

"No not you, Jack. Phantom! Look!"

Jack moved to occupy the his wife's side and saw what she did. On the young ghoul's jaw were white pin pricks of light glowing stubble starting there.

"Huh," Jack mumbled. "A costume change? He doesn't have them anymore. Did he shave? Do ghosts shave?"

Maddie shook her head in confusion, "Ghosts can't mature this slowly… They're supposed to only change shape if they're given the ability to transform their bodies or if they've acquired new energy from something. It's like he's… alive."

They both turned sharply when they heard a small crash outside.

"GHOST!" Jack roared and grabbed some gadgets. Maddie did the same, but not before taking one last glance at the frozen film of Phantom. _If he could mature, then did that mean he could feel emotions too? The lines she thought were drawn had grown blurry over time._

zzz

**A week and a half later**

The next week or so went by somewhat normally. During this time, Danny had told his friends about Vlad's appearance, which had made Valerie even madder at the millionaire, and had Danny even mentioned Skulker's strange behavior to them. Team Phantom had since then been on alert, waiting to see what Vlad could be up too, but they hadn't noticed anything suspicious. This morning the four friends were approaching school and Danny was talking about a dream he'd had the night before.

"The person was cloaked from what I can remember. He was mumbling something about righteousness…"

"Your dream is probably just that, a dream. We played a lot of the New Age Tomes and your Danny Phantom game, online last night. I bet they merged into a crazy dream when you fell asleep," Tucker spoke not looking up from his PDA.

"You don't believe in prophetic dreams? I mean ghosts exist and your best friend is half one," Sam asked the techno geek.

"Naw, just a coincidence."

The four friends mostly dropped the topic after that and headed for Mr. Lancer's class for English.

zzz

In English, Danny ended up falling asleep, probably due to Ember's visit the night before. More specifically because of the several waves of energy he'd been hit with from Ember's guitar. His body was asking for a bit more rest.

Before Mr. Lancer could turn and even notice Danny, or before Sam could nudge him awake, something bizarre started to happen. Danny started to speak in his sleep… In Latin.

"Cum bonum, non est obscurum. Justum erit oranti, qui malus. May gladius quidam animae est et adhaerebit Malus eligit gloria super avaritiam. De iure vero rex expellat tenebras. Expergiscere gladii animae vires, et semel de somno."

By the first sentence, the entire class was staring at Danny as well as Mr. Lancer. After Danny had finished, he grumbled in his sleep and let out a seemingly relieved sigh.

"The heck was that mumbo jumbo Fen-turd was saying!?" Dash shouted in alarm.

"It's probably some spell the freaky Goth put on him. A love spell or something." Paulina snorted.

"No Paulina… that's actually Latin Daniel was speaking," Lancer replied cutting off Sam's sharp reply she was going to make. He looked at Sam and Tucker both. "I had no idea Daniel was bilingual."

Sam stumbled. "He uh… isn't? He's just been reading a lot of ancient stories about legends and stuff."

Dash coughed into his hand, not really trying to hide his next words. "*cough*-Geek."

The A-listers and some of the other students laughed, before Lancer gave them a glare and cut them off.

"Oh… I see…" Lancer replied to Sam's answer, though he didn't mention that he didn't think reading over a story even with subtitles of some kind would account for how easily Daniel had used the language and dialect. He knocked on Daniel's desk and the boy shot up.

"Sorry Mr. Lancer!" Danny yelped as a reflex.

"Try to keep your head, Mr. Fenton. I'm almost desperate enough to let you bring a caffeinated drink of some kind." Lancer murmured the last part under his breath.

The lecture went on without incident after that, though Danny was getting more looks than normal now, some who were suspicious but most were mocking.

After school was over, the four friends went to the library to try and figure out what to do about Vlad and also what in the world Danny had said in Latin. They weren't the only ones though wondering what the cryptic words meant.

zzz

As soon as he parked his car in front of his apartment, the Mr. Lancer practically ran up the stairs to his place and disappeared into his study. He tossed his briefcase into another chair before sitting in front of his computer. He knew a decent amount of Latin but there were a few words that Daniel had used that even he wasn't familiar with.

To be honest, Mr. Lancer wanted to understand why Daniel didn't do better in school above all other questions; after all education was one of the most important aspects of Casper High's students' lives that he had authority to be involved in. As for Daniel's constant trips to the bathroom and absences, it wasn't really his business; for all Mr. Lancer knew Daniel had a medical issue and his personal life outside of school wasn't much of his business either. Something though, something told the bald teacher that his other questions could be answered if he figured out why Daniel's grades had fallen. Danny had been a honor student at one time but at some point it had been like someone had flipped a switch. It had oddly been about the time of the young man's lab accident. At first Lancer thought something had damaged him from the accident, which would certainly be understandable, but slowly he'd noticed that Daniel seemed still mentally capable if not still above average. It wasn't by his homework or test results the teacher knew these things though, it was in the rare moments Daniel participated in class discussion and other small signs that he knew. He wasn't a teacher for nothing after all.

He focused back on the task at hand and went to translate the few words he didn't know with a translator on the computer. After using his known knowledge of the ancient and practically dead language, he wrote down the translated version of Daniel's words.

_"When there is good, there is darkness. Justice must be the one to quell the evil. May the Sword of Souls cleave malus asunder and choose glory over greed. The rightful king shall banish the darkness. Awaken, Sword of Souls from your slumber and gain strength once more."_

He furrowed his brows and started to look up those words and phrases on the internet. Ultimately he could find no ancient story, tale, poem, parable, fable, novel, or even folk tale that had any of those words. Lancer was stumped. Where on earth could Daniel had gotten those words from? What were those kids really hiding?

zzz

"What is that supposed to mean?" Danny asked and scratched his head. The four friends had just heard Sam recite the translated version of the words Danny had spoken. Tucker had been smart enough to record Danny's voice on his PDA a few seconds after Danny had started speaking in class.

"Sword of Souls… Does it mean the Soul Shredder, Fright Night's weapon?" Tucker asked.

"I'm not certain. I couldn't find any story recounting these lines," Sam replied with a sigh.

"So what do we do?" Valerie spoke and looked at Danny. "And why on Earth did Danny start speaking these words and in Latin no less?"

"My theory is that Latin is the base language among ghosts. Many people believe it's the language of the dead. I think Danny could speak it all the time but hasn't really tried before." Tucker nodded.

"Maybe if you try thinking about it like you do to transform, it'll happen," Sam offered.

Danny shrugged and closed his eyes for a brief moment and then spoke.

"Numquid is opus?" (Did it work?)

"Whoa! Duuuudde, so cool!" Tucker beamed.

"Yeah nice Danny," Valerie agreed.

"Okay so should we maybe see if Clockwork knows anything about it?" Sam asked. "I mean when we can find the time. Vlad's kinda a bigger priority at the moment and Clockwork is often vague anyway."

"Ego assentior." (I agree.) Danny nodded before he clapped a hand over his mouth.

Everyone looked at Danny.

"Uh, English, dude."

"Conatus sum!" (I tried!) Danny exclaimed and threw up his arms in frustration.

"Lovely." Valerie sighed.

"Quomodo stare!?" (How do I stop?) Danny yelped and wove his fingers into his raven hair.

"Try and think about it again," Sam spoke and placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny sighed and nodded before a mischievous twinkle came to his eyes. He grabbed Sam's hand and spoke.

"Prius ego facio, Sam meum, te respice pulcher." (Before I do, my Sam, You look beautiful.)

He then closed his eyes and spoke again.

"How about now?"

Tucker sighed. "Glad that's over."

Sam was still looking at his face after he'd turned it to look at Tucker. "What did you say last?"

Danny looked back at her with a blush. "Nothing…"

"So the plan with Vlad?" Valerie asked and leaned back in the chair she was sitting in.

Everyone looked at her and then each other. Danny finally replied. "You can't ever out-play Vlad, so the best thing to do is wait and hope we can provide damage control during or after the fact."

"That sucks," Valerie spat.

"Vlad sucks." Danny smirked.

After talking for a little bit longer, the group decided to go to the Lab since Danny's parents had again gone to a meeting at Axion. They wanted to do some battle practice. Sam and Tuck did some physical exercise and practice shooting with ghost weapons, though Sam was much better at the physical work, even if Tuck was improving and actually starting to show skill with his aim; _he_ claimed it was all the video games he played. Danny was practicing with the targets and obstacles and working with his ecto blasts, ice and fire. Valerie was doing something similar only with her weapons and suit. At one point, Danny asked to practice his Wail so they slipped into the Ghost Zone, just inside the portal, and Danny worked to use his most powerful attack.

Danny took a deep breath and then let loose the sorrowful sounding sound waves. Valerie had never heard it or seen the Ghostly Wail before and realized again that Danny could've really hurt her if he'd wanted to before she found out his secret. The sound was one that seemed to leave an empty feeling in anyone who listened to it. Sam explained that she and Tucker had figured out that the Wail's sound changed depending on the emotions Danny was feeling when he used it; it could sound angry and full of fury, sad and full of longing, desperately sorrowful, or scared and fearful. Long after Danny was done, the noise echoed in the zone.

"Not bad, Danny. Three in a row without transforming back into Fenton. You're getting better," Sam spoke up.

Danny floated back over to them with a wide grin as he placed his hand on the porthole of the Specter Speeder. "Yeah I feel pretty tired but not overly so. Eventually I want to make it to where I can use it at least five or more times before I'm forced to change back."

With that, they returned to the lab and finished with practicing again a tiny bit more. Something interesting happened though when Danny was working with his ghostly fire. He was trying to see how hot he could make a fire ball when suddenly it turned blue, lost it's form, and seemed to crackle, burn Danny, and then flash out of existence.

"Heus!" Danny shouted in Latin and gripped his hand.

"Huh?" Tucker asked and everyone looked at their friend.

"I think that's Ouch in Latin," Sam replied and looked at Danny's burnt glove. The Halfa shook his hand a couple times and she saw the skin start to smooth and not look blistered while the glove started to thread itself back together.

"What happened?" Valerie asked.

"I burnt myself somehow," Danny muttered. He explained what he had been trying to do and Tucker's face turned thoughtful.

"Huh, maybe it got too hot to remain in gaseous form or fire form so the ectoplasm turned into plasma or electricity."

"Electricity?" Danny murmured under his breath and then hmmed in thought.

The group finished training as dinner time came around. They said their goodbyes and left for their homes for the evening.

zzz

In the Ghost Zone within the Fright Knight's lair, his sword, the Soul Shredder, was resting within a Pumpkin as the ghoul regained his strength. Suddenly, the blade began to wiggle and then glowed a bit and became a shade of green that was a tiny bit more blue, a faint cyan.

zzz

**The next day at school in Gym**

"Move a little faster, Mr. Fenton," Mrs. Teslaff droned.

The last class of the day for everyone in Danny's grade was gym that day. Mrs. Teslaff had started the class off by having them do laps around the football field; Danny, of course, as well as Tucker, were having to keep themselves in check about how fast they ran as to not raise suspicion. Sam didn't have to worry and either did Valerie since everyone knew them to be athletic enough. Danny sighed under his breath and went just a tiny bit faster to try and semi-please his coach. Eventually the laps were done and Mrs. Teslaff instructed everyone to work with shot-puts.

Everyone worked with them with varying degrees of success. Danny was doing pretty badly just because he had to make it seem that way, though he wasn't doing as badly as some of the nerds. If one looked close enough one could see the lack luster in each toss he made. He occupied his thoughts with his curiosity about how far he could actually throw the shot-put if he really tried with everything in his power. Danny heard a panicked cry and turned to see Brandon fall on his back with the shot-put in his hands but on top of his chest too. Dash, Kwan and the other jocks immediately swarmed like wolves, laughing and jeering at the down boy. Mrs. Teslaff told the jocks to stop but she didn't really seem to try any harder to ward them off after a couple attempts. Danny shouldn't do anything; it would jeopardize his secret, but watching them all gang up on Brandon was just more than he could bear. Danny shouted.

"Stop! Leave him alone, you morons!"

The group of five jocks turned abruptly and glared at Danny. Brandon's eyes went wide. Dash marched up menacingly. "What was that, Fentonio?"

Danny glanced over and locked eyes with Brandon and gave him a half smile before he glared into Dash's eyes, which he at least no longer had to look up to do so. He could sense Sam, Tucker, and Valerie tense up behind him, since emotions were easy for him to read even in human form.

"I said leave him alone, Dash. Find something better to do with your time than pick on people. You hit them, they bleed, it's a reliable outcome. Beating or wailing on somebody doesn't make you so great or strong in the end," Danny spoke evenly.

Dash laughed, "It _does to_ show that I'm stronger."

Danny frowned and let out a sigh. "Yeah whatever Dash, seems like a hollow victory to me."

Dash growled and shoved Danny, causing him to fall to his rear.

"Let's see how well you handle the pressure," Dash taunted and dropped a shot put over Danny's lower gut. Purely running on instinct, Danny snatched it before it could strike him, with one hand, seemingly effortlessly, and his bicep shook the slightest bit from use.

Everyone seemed a bit surprised. Danny blinked and then pretended he lost his strength and his hand struck the ground between his legs before he slipped it out from under the ball of metal.

Dash narrowed his eyes and grabbed Danny by the front of his gym shirt. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull. You holding back or something? I may not know much science, but I can tell when one of my players isn't at his best. It's one of the Quarterback's jobs. So why would you hold back, Fenturd?"

"That's an excellent question Mr. Baxter." She looked at Danny. "Fenton, I would like you and Baxter will each throw a shot put and if you hold back, then I'm going to fail you. I don't see why on earth you'd be purposefully doing poorly in a class you could do better in."

Danny gaped a bit and grit his teeth slightly at Dash before he sighed. "Yes ma'am."

Dash grinned and stalked over to the rest of the shot-puts while everyone else gathered around to watch the top jock and the cute but geek Fenton, compete.

Dash went first. He picked up the sphere and spun himself in proper form before tossing the shot with all he had, letting out a short roar of effort. The shot soared and then struck the ground. Mikey ran off with the tape measure behind him and shouted back that it was at a distance of forty two feet.

"Excellent work, Baxter. That throw's a little bit above average for a high schooler," Mrs. Teslaff praised. She then looked at Danny. "Fenton?"

Danny gulped as the jocks sneered. He glanced at Sam, Tucker, and Valerie. They all had a determined look on their faces. Sam nodded. Danny put on a determined face as well and picked up a shot-put and stood where Dash had.

"Good luck, Fen-toad! You're going to need it!" Dash mocked and the other jocks laughed.

They all flinched when Danny looked back at them with a very serious look on his face. Everyone knew Danny as a non-violent sort and he rarely got testy with anyone, except Dash and some of the jocks. This look however was new and some people actually were a bit spooked by it. This look was daring, determined and didn't belong on the laid back, kind, Fenton's features. For some odd reason his look seemed to belong to someone else...

"You know, Dash? You really need to shut up." With that, Danny turned and started to spin before he let out a shout and tossed the sphere. He held back of course, because if they saw a shot-put fly through the air like a comet, there'd be questions and maybe experiments, lots and lots of painful experiments. The shot-put did soar though and right pass Dash's too. It landed with a thump and everyone was still. Mikey remembered how to breathe and then jogged forward to measure, though it wasn't really necessary.

"fifty point six feet!" Mikey yelled. He looked at Danny who was looking at him evenly like he knew the greatest secret ever. "Danny wins."

Two thirds of the class in Danny's grade, erupted into cheers. He turned to look at the stunned Mrs. Teslaff and nodded before talking a towel and walking towards the locker room just as the bell rang. He had finished washing off the sweat and got out of the shower by the time all the guys wandered into the room, oddly Dash and a few jocks were missing. Danny noticed a few guys notice he for once didn't have a shirt on in the locker room. His bare torso was showing and a few scars from the Ectopus were visible. Danny avoided eye contact and rushed into a stall to change.

zzz

Back in the field, Brandon was quietly putting up some supplies and stuff because he'd told Mrs. Teslaff he would. He was thinking about Danny standing up to Dash for him and how he'd truly done what he'd talked to him about. He'd helped him. Danny was right, anyone could be a hero. A smile came to Brandon's face at the thought until he heard whispers. The band geek finished putting some smaller towels into a bucket and quietly moved towards the bleachers. He listened to the whispers and started to make out the voices of Dash, Kwan, and a few other jocks.

"Dude, Fenton totally schooled you!"

"Who knew the dweeb had it in him?"

"Shut up, Kwan. You too, Tyson."

"What's wrong, Dash? Mad?"

"Mad? Mad?! Of course I'm mad! Fenton somehow threw that shot-put farther than me!"

"I wonder if he's been holding back all along? I mean did you guys see him in the locker room? The guy actually _has_ a chest and abs."

"No way, he wouldn't keep putting up with Dash otherwise."

"Okay look here. We've got to get back at Fentonio. He just got lucky you guys were seeing things."

"Why do _we_ need to get back at him?"

"Why? Why!? Duh, because we can't have a _geek_ upstaging us!"

"Uh Danny upstaged _you_, not us, man."

"You don't get it! _I'm_ the Quarterback, so if he upstages _me_, he upstages all of _you_."

A few grumbles showed they begrudgingly agreed.

"Alright, you guys know the party happening in a couple weeks?"

"Yeah."

"Well for some reason, Paulina actually _invited _the dweeb and his geek squad. Technically the party's for the entire class but I was hoping they'd forget those losers. Anyway, I think for some reason she's leading him on or something. That's when and where we'll strike. Here's what I've got in mind…"

Brandon listened closely as their voices grew even more muffled and he had to hold back a gasp at what he heard. He backed up hurriedly and ran off towards the locker room so the jocks wouldn't know they had been over-heard. They were going to humiliate Danny. They were going to humiliate Danny because of _him_. Brandon wheezed and caught his breath once he got to the showers. A sad and frightened look took over his features before he slipped away to get dressed in his day clothes now that school was over.

**zzzzzzzzzzz**

**So everything still flowing well? This is the first time we have a week gap or so and was the skip to gym class weird at all?**

**Tell me what you think of the chapter! :)**

**zzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**transmetaljohn: [Mentioned the nature of Dan Phantom's name being uncreative was wondering if I was considering using a more unique name for him]**

**NoSignal: The way I see it is that Dan Phantom could care less what he's called. He's been called so many names in fear and scorn that it doesn't matter to him anymore. Team Phantom simply needs a name to call him and Dan Phantom is the closest thing to a canon name for him (even if that was only in a Game Boy Advance game). So I hope that's okay with most everyone. I honestly don't see Dani's name as very creative either, but eh that one's definitely canon. :)**

**Great: As for Vlad, why do I think he woke up something extremely bad AND THINKS he's the only one that can control it? Idiot. **

**PS I wonder, will they go to the myth's and lore section of the library. Its just that when you don't find something through normal means, then you need to search lore or history for it.**

**NoSignal: Perhaps, Vlad tends to do that sort of thing, but... maybe _he_ didn't wake it up. ;) Myth's and Lore section? Hm... if the answers aren't too far in the past...**

**NoSignal to reviewer Ethan Demas: Sadly I couldn't quite grasp most of the questions you were asking. If english isn't your primary language then I believe the translator you used mixed some of the words up or something. Afraid I can't answer since I'm not hundred percent positive what you were asking. :) Thanks for the review though.**

**NoSignal-To All Readers: Thanks so much for all your kind reviews, favs, follows, and support!**

**zzzz**

**Thanks to you all!**

**~NoSignal**


	7. Party Favors

**Let's get to it already!**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"Knowing what's right doesn't mean much unless you do what's right" ~ Theodore Roosevelt._

zzz

The four friends walked home together after gym class, talking about Danny's performance in front of Mrs. Telstaff and the other students.

"Dude! Did you see the look on Dash's face!? Priceless, absolutely priceless!" Tucker howled in glee.

"I've got to say, totally made my day to see that," Valerie smiled brightly.

Danny was just smiling until Sam wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Feel good to show a bit of you strength?" Sam smirked. Normally she was very conscious of making sure Danny didn't pull many pranks with his powers, but this one she'd openly agreed to.

Danny puffed out his chest a bit and grinned, "Sure, I just can't help but wonder what Dash would've thought if I'd _really_ thrown it."

"I bet his eyes would've bugged out of his head!" Tucker wheezed from his laughter and wiped away a tear from his eye. He was enjoying this way too much.

"He's going to be pissed though," Valerie replied.

"I guess since he somehow figured it out that I haven't been using my all, though he's off about how much so, he might try to prompt me to fight back next time he corners me. I'm going to have to be even more careful than before." Danny sighed. "I know I just couldn't watch them torment Brandon like they were. I think my obsession is getting stronger than it was."

"Obsession?" Valerie asked.

"Every ghost has an obsession they harbor after death. Half Ghosts have them too. Danny's is heroics. Balancing your obsession helps keep one from becoming corrupted or lacking humanity. A ghost's obsession roots them to their humanity, especially for full ghosts." Tucker expressed.

Danny smiled and leaned over to speak into Sam's hair. "Passionis est tibi, Sam." (My passion is Sam)

Sam flicked her eyes over to look at him and smirked. "I guess I'm going to have to learn Latin or something or maybe get a translator?"

"Seems like it," Danny smirked right back.

"You mean like one of those voice activated translators?" Tucked asked.

"No I mean like a human translator. I know this guy named Matthew that knows over twenty languages. He used to work for the United Nations," Sam replied.

"That'd be awkward on dates," Danny mentioned.

"Noted. The dinky little voice activated one it is."

Tucker perked up when he realized something. "I guess Danny's actually almost trilingual since he's been learning Esperanto for Wulf too," Tucker smirked as he whipped out his PDA.

"Huh, look at Danny, knowing three languages," Sam teased and poked his chest.

Danny flushed slightly and smiled, "I told you I could do better in school if I had the time."

"I bet you'd have overturned Dash as most desired boy in Casper if you'd have gotten the chance to live normally. Most of your original famed clumsiness near the later half of Freshman year was when you were learning how to use your powers." Tucker shrugged. "I would've been second or tied with you because we're double trouble." Danny rolled his eyes and Sam bumped Tucker with her shoulder slightly, which made him fumble with his PDA and almost drop it. Tucker gave Sam a slight glare and petted his precious device while Sam rolled her eyes.

Valerie looked up at Danny. "Do you ever wish your life was normal?"

Danny paused for a moment. "Sometimes… but… I don't think, as things are now, that I'd want to give up my ability to protect people." Sam squeezed his hand and he squeezed back in return.

_-Bing-_

"Whoa," Tucker spoke up.

"What is it?" Sam asked and Danny and Valerie turned to look at Tucker.

"I just got the invite for the four of us to that party Paulina wants Danny at," Tucker replied. He looked up at the others. "What should we do?"

"I say Paulina can shove her party up her-" Sam started and Danny glanced at her.

"I agree with Sam on this one," Valerie replied and crossed her arms.

"Aw come on! We finally get really and truly invited to a cool kid party and we aren't going to go?" Tucker whined. "I could've found a girl!"

Sam had to hold back a chuckle at the somewhat pissed look that came to Valerie's face. Danny saw it too and furrowed his brows in confusion at her sudden change in behavior. Sam saw Danny and shook her head at his still chronic cluelessness.

"I just think we could check it out. Who knows, maybe it'll be fun. Besides this party doesn't just have A-listers. Paulina said it's a class party, everyone in our graduating class is invited," Danny spoke up.

The other three turned to look at him.

"I'm siding with Danny on this one!" Tucker blurted out and raised his hand.

Sam and Valerie glanced at each other and sighed.

"Alright…" They both replied at the same time.

"Yes!" Tucker grinned.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll be fine. Besides we can leave at any time." Danny smiled at them both and they seemed only half satisfied with that.

Regardless though, they were going to the party.

zzz

**The beginning of November. The day of the Party. Paulina's house.**

After a somewhat calm day, if you don't count Danny having to suck the Box Ghost into the thermos of total of five times that day and a surprise visit from Youngblood who only stopped to ask Danny if he thought his Astronaut suit looked cool, the four friends got ready that afternoon and arrived at the party together that evening.

The party was being held at Paulina's house while her parents had offered to go on a trip at the time to give the house to the graduating class. It was a bit sketchy since there was supposed to be _some_ kind of chaperone, but no one complained.

Honestly? They four friends made a pretty darn good entrance. Danny was wearing a toned down version of his party outfit, namely a black shirt with a white opened jacket, though he was wearing blue jeans with them. Sam was wearing her new dark green shirt with the rest of her normal day clothes. Valerie was wearing her typical outfit and Tucker was wearing a red polo with the rest of his typical attire. Danny and Sam walked in holding hands as the four friends looked around.

"Looks hoppin' to me!" Tucker grinned excitedly. He locked eyes with a group of nerds he knew, consisting of Mikey, Brandon, and Norman. Norman had brown hair and thin round glasses; he was taller than both Mikey and Brandon and was dark-skinned. Tucker smiled at Danny "Come-on, lets go. Sam and Valerie could use some girl time together, right?"

Danny glanced at Sam and she nodded contently. He smiled back and let go of her hand before walking off behind Tucker. They approached the three nerds and greeted them.

"Saluton mia popolo," Tucker spoke first in Esperanto for fun. (Hey, my people!)

Brandon was about to turn and translate for Danny, since he thought perhaps he didn't know what was said, but was halted by Danny's voice.

"Vere mian popolon? Sendistinge, saluton infanoj," Danny added (Really, my people? Regardless, hey guys.)

"Mi ne sciis ke vi povus paroli Esperanton, Danny," Mikey replied. (I didn't know you could speak Esperanto, Danny.)

"Tion, tri lingvojn? Kiel vi faras tiel malbone en iuj klasoj?" Norman added. (That's what, three languages? How are you doing so poorly in some classes?)

Danny chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck, "It's kinda complicated."

"Hey Danny, I just wanted to thank you, you know… for the other day," Brandon mumbled.

Danny smiled, "No sweat, Brandon."

"I've got to say, fifty plus feet is an impressive distance. Certainly nothing to laugh at," Mikey spoke nasally and adjusted his glasses.

Danny shrugged. "I've never thrown a shot before, so I didn't know."

"Maybe you should be in Casper High's Track Team!" Norman spoke with a kind smile.

Danny got slightly nervous. "Well uh… sadly I don't think I have the time."

Brandon had grown quiet and was staring at his shoes as Danny talked with Tucker, Mikey, and Norman about a variety of things. He happened to glance over at a raised stage that had been set up in the large foyer of the home for dancing and saw Dash and Kwan peaking out from behind some stage curtains. They were glaring at Danny. Brandon started to sweat and gulped before trying to gain control of his worry. He looked over at Danny and spoke. "Hey Danny-"

Danny and the others turned to his voice and Danny tiled his head but gave a welcome smile. "Yeah Brandon?"

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you…"

"Oh Dannnnyyyy!"

The five people turned to see Paulina, Star and a third girl with slightly slanted eyes and dark wavy hair with tan skin, named Megan, walking towards them.

Norman frowned slightly. "What in the world are they up to?"

"Who knows," Danny murmured.

Tucker leaned in, "Keep your eyes peeled. Last thing you need is a mad Sam."

Danny gulped, "Yep that's true."

Right after that, Paulina spoke again.

"Hey Danny, nice outfit. You look great."

Danny shifted uncomfortably. "What is it you want, Paulina?"

She continued to smile. "Me and the girls were just wanting to get your opinion of some ideas for decorations we have for the second party later in the school year. They're ghosts and we wanted to make sure we got every detail right. You being the son of Amity Park's best human ghost hunters, can help, right?"

Danny sighed and glanced across the room at Sam and Valerie who were enjoying the punch and chatting happily. He turned back and nodded. "I guess it couldn't hurt."

Paulina clapped her hands together. "Perfect, right this way, Danny."

Danny walked off, following the three girls.

Brandon gulped and looked back at the stage even though the jocks weren't there anymore.

"Whelp. I'm glad I charged my PDA," Tucker shrugged and pulled out the device.

"Why's that?" Mikey asked.

Tucker replied, "Because I will bet there's a decent chance that this night might end with a cat fight between Sam and Paulina and Paulina will defiantly loose. That's a fight I want on camera."

Norman rose his brows. "Wait are you saying-"

"Paulina's totally hitting on Danny for unsavory purposes. She doesn't really want to date him permanently. She just wants to have said she broke his heart or something stupid like that. I guess she think's he's 'decent' looking now." Tucker grumbled some as he tapped a few buttons.

"Oh," Mikey responded.

"Shallow, shallow, shallow," Norman shook his head. He glanced at Brandon who had been staring at the stage still. "Hey man, you okay there, Brandon?"

Brandon snapped out of his trace and gazed at the others. "Oh… uh, yeah. I'm fine, don't worry about it."

The other three glanced at each other before shrugging and going back to talking.

zzz

"That really happened?" Valerie smirked as she took another sip of her drink.

"Yep, those first few months were scary. Danny kept slipping through everything, even the floor. It's a miracle no one saw," Sam replied.

Valerie laughed a bit.

Sam frowned and then smiled. "Hey Valerie?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks, uh… for not wasting Danny for starters after you found out and uh for being a good friend to me."

Valerie seemed surprised.

"I've never actually really had a girl that was a friend before. I mean me and Jazz get along well enough but she's older than me and at college at the moment," Sam added.

Valerie smiled. "You're welcome to both things. I'm glad to be your friend too." They both smiled at each other before Valerie spotted something behind Sam. "Huh-oh."

Sam turned and looked over her shoulder. "What?" She figured out what, after she'd turned. She saw a final glimpse of Danny's back as he disappeared into a hallway, following Paulina, Star and Megan.

"What do you think that's about?" Valerie spoke with suspicion in her voice.

"Danny… he wouldn't do anything like that," Sam hissed under her breath.

Valerie replied, "I wasn't implying that. I'm worried about Paulina."

Sam cut her eyes away in anger. While most would see a jealous and angry person, Valerie could see the tiny bit of fear Sam was hiding.

zzz

They got to a room, which turned out to be one of the bedrooms in Paulina's massive house. The room had cut-outs of various ghosts scattered about in it. One was of the Box ghost, another was of Skulker, Desiree, Technus, and then one ironically of himself.

"Well, what do you think?" Paulina asked.

Danny turned and tried to force a kind smile. _Maybe they were being honest._ "Well Skulker's mohawk is green not blue and Desiree's clothes are blue not red, but other than that they look pretty accurate."

Paulina grinned happily. "Wonderful!" She turned to look at Star and Megan. "Would you two mind going to get the other two cut outs? You know, the Lunch Woman and the Spooky Knight ghosts."

The two girls nodded and left the room.

"Uh, it's the Lunch Lady and Fright Knight."

Paulina twirled around to look at Danny and gave a smile. "Oh! Oops, thanks for the info. People mis-name them so often…" She replied and put a hand to her mouth in semi-embarrassment.

Danny deadpanned in his head. _But you always mis-named Danny Phantom._

"Hey Danny, would you mind moving that Skulker cut-out to the other side of the bed to make room for the new ones?"

Danny looked over and nodded before walking over and bending to use his legs to lift the cut-out. It was pretty heavy for wood, but of course Danny could've lifted it with one hand easily if he didn't need to always continue his charade. He walked over and placed the cut-out were Paulina said she'd desired it. It was then he felt arms snake around his waist.

"Danny… Are you suuure you don't wanna kiss or anything?" Paulina drawled. She had immediately felt him stiffen. _Tch, I didn't wanna have to do this with Fenton of all people, but if it's the only thing that will break him from Goth freak._

"Paulina." Danny started, almost sounding angry, as he reached to grab her hands and pull them from his waist. He froze completely when she whispered in his ear.

"You sure you don't wanna loose your pants on_ purpose_ this time?" She asked in a quieter tone, slipping her hand up under his shirt and resting it on his stomach. She paused in surprise when she actually felt the muscle she didn't know was there. Danny's eyes had gone wide at her remark and he'd literally forgotten to breathe for a few second longer than normal. There was a pregnant silence before Danny started to shake a bit.

"What's wrong?" Paulina asked, slightly annoyed.

Danny almost ripped her hands from his waist and glared at her, surprising her.

"I should've listened to Sam a lot sooner. I figured you were shallow, but this…" Danny grit his teeth. "You don't care about me. You never did. I don't think you get it or something, Paulina. You made fun of me, taunted me, defamed me in earlier grades. Why would I want to show that kind of love towards you afterwards?"

Paulina kept a flat face.

Danny frowned. "Paulina, you'll never find satisfaction or lasting happiness this way. Please, for your own sake, try to rethink the way you look at things. Try to find someone special. Try to make friendships that matter and last." Danny walked past her. "I'll see you later, Paulina. Have a good night."

Danny was halfway to the door when Paulina finally spoke.

"You aren't worth it anyways. Someday Inviso-bil will fall in love with me. He at least has good taste in girls."

Danny paused and turned to face her again. "Sam is wonderful and beautiful. Don't dare talk like she isn't again or we'll have a problem. Second, Danny _Phantom_ won't love you."

"How do you know!" Paulina increased her volume, in defense of her hero. Danny paused not sure how reply until-

"I know him and he'd say the very same thing I did," Danny replied simply and left the room. He didn't see Star leaning against the wall to his left, outside the door. He walked towards the stage, which could also be reached from the hallway he was in, to get down from the other side. Star was frowning and looked into the room to see Paulina staring out the bedroom's window with an irritated look on her face. Paulina whipped around and walked outside and found Star.

"Inviso- I mean Danny Phantom loves me, right?" Paulina asked Star.

The young blonde was still frowning. "I think you need to talk to him more to figure that out, Paulina. Not every love story starts with love at first sight."

Paulina gave her an impatient look, before Kwan ran past. Paulina noticed the jock's urgency and stopped him.

"What are you doing, Kwan?"

Kwan spoke hurriedly, "We're about to spring our trap for Fenton. It's revenge for upstaging us in gym before."

Star frowned slightly and Kwan actually seemed a bit worried at the blonde's reaction.

"Perfect. That dweeb needs to be put back in his place," Paulina replied. "Tell me where the best view will be."

Kwan replied hesitantly, "Probably… the rest of the main room, bellow the stage you know? I gotta go like right now, Dash will kill me if I'm not in place." The jock then took off. Paulina smiled and motioned for Star to follow her.

zzz

Sam, Valerie, Tucker, Norman, and Mikey had all joined up into one group to talk. Brandon had disappeared somewhere and they all turned to follow Sam's gaze when she spoke.

"There's Paulina, but where's Danny?"

The group saw Paulina and Star walk out from the hallway where'd they'd left with Danny before. The two girls then found a seat and seemed to be looking at the stage. Star had on a frown and Paulina seemed happy. It wasn't too much longer before Megan came and joined them.

It was at that moment they heard a commotion and looked up at the stage.

Danny had been heading across the stage and was two thirds of the way across when Dash jumped out from the curtains and shouted.

"Gotcha, Fen-toad!" The blond jock then pulled a rope.

"Danny look-out!"

Danny was shoved away from where he'd been standing and fell to his rear a bit farther across the stage. From the ceiling or the rafters, came a stream of some kind of sticky tar-like substance and feathers. The mixture landed on, Brandon.

The entire room was quiet. Danny looked up after he'd hit the ground and saw Brandon standing where'd he'd been with tar and feathers covering him. Oddly enough, for once, no one was laughing at the band geek's expense.

"Damn it, nerd! Fenton was supposed to get that!" Dash growled and picked the dirty Brandon up by the front of the shirt.

"Put him down, Dash."

The jock looked up and almost flinched when he saw that same serious look in Danny's eyes like he'd shown in gym.

Dash quickly reclaimed his cool. "What are you going to do about it, Fenton?"

Danny then started to march forward and then he shoved Dash, hard. The jock was so caught off guard that he let go of Brandon and fell backwards onto the wood floor of the stage with a hollow thump, flat on his back. Danny reached out and caught Brandon's arm to keep the boy from falling over.

"You okay?" Danny asked.

Brandon nodded. "You were right, it _can_ be as scary as facing a dragon."

Danny smiled but then noticed Dash had pulled himself up and was marching towards them again. Danny directed Brandon away right as Dash landed a right hook on Danny's jaw. It made a loud smack noise. Danny stumbled back a step. He then heard Sam's voice.

"Oh Hell, no!" Sam started marching towards the stairs to join the three boys on stage. "I'm going to kick you in the family jewels so hard-"

Danny was about to tell Sam to stand back when Dash snorted. "Goth geek, you're really settling for less than great with Fen-turd. I kinda actually pity you. Let _me_ show you a trick or two." Rage erupted in Danny's gut when heard the implication in Dash's words. He punched Dash in the gut, hard. The wind flew from Dash's lungs swiftly.

"Shut-the-hell-up, Dash!" Dash swung another punch at Danny's head and Danny grabbed the jock's fist very quickly and squeezed. Dash could actually feel a little pain from Danny's grip and stared at the boy.

"How?"

Sam grabbed Danny's shoulder and yanked him back from Dash before Danny could speak. She marched over and grabbed Brandon's too, who had been watching numbly and left the stage with her cargo.

"Let's get out of here, before I loose my cool," Sam growled.

"This isn't over, Fenton!" Dash yelled.

Danny whipped his head around and for a split second, Dash thought he saw Danny's eyes glow green. "Get over yourself, Dash! Grow-up!"

Danny, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Norman, Mikey, and the sill dirtied Brandon, all left the party together.

zzz

"Brandon, how'd you know about the trap?" Danny asked as the seven people walked down the practically empty and quiet street.

Brandon smiled nervously and looked away. "After gym, that day you stood up for me, I overheard their plans. I was really afraid to do anything, but then I remembered what you'd said about how anyone can be a hero." He looked back and smiled at Danny. "You'd helped me at gym and after all that I thought I should return the favor, no matter what."

Sam smiled and looked at Danny. "Did you really say that? That anyone can be a hero?"

Danny blushed slightly and smiled. "Might have slipped out." He winked at her and then looked at Brandon. "Thanks Brandon, I really do appreciate it."

Brandon smiled back with more joy on his face.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Danny asked.

Mikey and Norman shared a look of slight confusion and Brandon beamed. "Good is an understatement."

Ultimately, Norman and Mikey walked home with Brandon and was going to help explain to his parents why he was practically tarred and feathered.

Danny and Sam decided to walk home together alone and Tucker and Valerie did the same.

zzz

Truth be told, Danny's always been a terrible liar. So why he thought he could weasel out of telling Sam what Paulina had wanted from him during the party, confused even him.

"Do you want to loose your pants on purpose?!" Sam fumed. "That witch!"

"I honestly thought she just needed some help since Star and Megan were there at first. I think she's given up on me though, if that's any consolation. I just can't believe she was willing to do that," Danny replied. He scratched the back of his neck, "I mean am I… am I that-?" He shivered when Sam rubbed the back of her left hand against his left cheek as they walked.

"You were cute before Danny, now… well you're attractive."

Danny swallowed and then smiled. "Thanks Sam." Soon after though his faced darkened and Sam noticed.

"Danny what's wrong?"

Danny looked up at her and shoved his hands into his pockets. "It's just… Dash. The things he said to you."

"He's jealous, Paulina's jealous."

He looked at her.

"He tastes like failure, okay? You smell like cinnamon and a forest, he smells like football gear. You two don't even compare."

Danny smiled and pulled out one of his hands from his pockets to squeeze her hand. "You're more beautiful than Paulina by far, in my humble opinion."

Just as they were nearing Sam's house, Danny and Sam leaned in close and shared a long kiss.

"Hey… You do realize we can do the Spider-man kiss much easier than other people," Danny spoke after they'd parted.

Sam smacked him on the side of the head lightly. "You dork."

Danny smirked a bit.

"This is just fine… in _my_ humble opinion," Sam replied before she swiftly kissed him again. He deepened the kiss and finally they broke apart once more.

"So you have wished it, so shall it be," Danny replied with a smile.

zzz

"I can't believe Dash tried that stunt," Valerie grumbled.

"I can," Tucker shrugged with his hands in his pockets as they walked. He had his earbuds out and was listening to music from his PDA but only had one bud in one of his ears, so he could hear Valerie out of the other.

"And Brandon, he really helped Danny like that just because he told him anyone can be a hero?"

Tucker smiled at that. "You have to understand, Danny's been that way for forever. He has that effect on people. He's always been mostly righteous and every great now and then he'll let his temper get the best of him or he'll maybe take something or someone for granted, but everyone does that. He was even that way before his powers. I think that's why his obsession became heroics." He glanced at Valerie. "Do you know the story behind why Dash likes to pick on Danny the most? I remember you weren't a part of Casper High until seventh grade."

Valerie shook her head. "I always wondered though."

"It's because Danny would always try and stop Dash from picking on others. Eventually Dash grew tired of it and started wailing on the only person that wouldn't bow. I'd known Danny for a while and I felt he was doing the right thing so if I got shoved in a locker due to association, then I suppose it was my little contribution to the cause."

"I guess then... Danny's been a hero for a long time, even before Phantom."

"Anyone can be a hero, it's true ya know? Maybe not a superhero, but a hero."

"I guess Phantom made it easier and harder at the same time."

"Yeah, definitely more complicated, like school, and parents, and curfew, and my crush on yo-" Tucker froze and then stuttered, "And school, and ghosts-"

"Wait, what was the one before school?"

"More complicated?"

"No, you said school twice."

"Curfew?"

Valerie put her hands on her hips and noticed Tucker was sweating nervously. "No."

"School?"

"Tucker!"

He cringed thinking she was going to hit him. "My crush on you!?"

Silence.

"You have-_had_ a crush on me?" Valerie asked softly.

Tucker twiddled his thumbs nervously after taking out his one ear bud. "Well I really liked you for a while, until you started hunting my best friend. Then you and he had a thing for a while… I don't know…"

Valerie sighed, "I'm really sorry. It's seems ever since I started hunting ghosts I've messed things up."

"You haven't been recently."

"Except apparently because of me, Vlad's mugging Danny on the street at night."

"He didn't rob Danny though."

"You _know_ what I mean."

"That would've happened eventually anyways. Vlad's always trying to find reasons to get mad at Danny since he won't become his creepy perfect son. I always think of _Stepford Wives_ when I think of that… I wonder if Vlad would be happy with a robot Danny. That would make things easier." Tucker mused.

Valerie chuckled softly and shook her head at Tucker's imagination. A silence then passed between them.

"Do you still have a crush on me or…"

Tucker looked at her and blushed. "Oh well… I mean… Maybe?"

Valerie cocked her head and rose a brow.

Tucker sighed and gave a crooked smile. "Okay okay, I would be lying saying I hadn't been thinking about it. I was thinking… that maybe-"

Valerie leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly. "I'd love to see how it goes."

Tucker beamed as she walked ahead and smiled at him before entering her home. After she was gone, Tucker pulled both arms down and one knee up in a victory-like motion and spoke out. "Yessss!"

He practically skipped home.

zzz

The next day at school was awkward to say the least. People kept staring at the four friends when they walked the halls and once or twice Danny could overhear people asking each other how wimpy Fenton could push Dash to the floor with one shove. More importantly though, Danny heard a couple jocks talking about Dash… saying that he'd thought he'd seen Fenton's eyes glow green. The good news was most people weren't caring about that, saying it was a trick of the party's lights.

They saw Dash once or twice, but he seemed to only glare at them.

During lunch, the nerds swarmed. Danny was like a superhero to them; if only they knew.

"Imagine, having the upper body strength to push Baxter to the ground!" One wheezed as they stood around Danny and his friends' table. Valerie had a slightly annoyed look on her face, Tucker was basking in the glory, and Sam was simply smiling at Danny from time to time. _This_ was the kind of praise he needed. Not some over crazed sort of praise that messed with his ego as it had before a time or two, but real respect, not true hero worship. Though Danny was nervous and trying his best to smile and be kind, she could tell he was truly filled with pride; it shone in his eyes.

"I think he was kinda off his guard though," Danny added with a little nervous laugh.

"According to several different rules from organized sports and activities I've looked up, one is not off their guard if there is eye-contact!" Mikey declared triumphantly. Several others nodded in agreement.

"Brandon was the real hero, anyways. He was willing to take the hit for me," Danny spoke up and looked over at Brandon who shifted nervously under everyone's gaze.

"I just wanted to repay you."

"And you did, ten fold."

Brandon gave a happy smile.

A ways away, Paulina was angry. Dash and his crew hadn't even come to the lunch room today and practically everyone that normally bowed down to her was giving Danny and his friends all the attention.

She stood and walked over to the trash can and threw her meal away.

"Paulina?" Star asked worriedly.

"I'm not hungry." She left the cafeteria. Star pulled her bag-lunch together and followed after her hurriedly.

After Lunch and final period, Mr. Lancer stopped Danny as the bell for the end of the day rang.

"Yes Mr. Lancer?" Danny asked with a slight frown.

Mr. Lancer weaved his fingers together and looked at Danny evenly. "Daniel-" He noticed the tiny flinch that came with the boy being called that, but continued.

"Something has come to my attention…"

He could see sweat start to form from nervousness.

"I'm concerned that you aren't working as hard as you could in your classes. First you start speaking another language in my class-"

Danny tried to speak but Lancer stopped him. "And then you out preform Dashell at the shot put." He seemed to become a bit worried which surprised Danny. "Is there something that's preventing you from preforming at your best, Daniel?"

He saw a light in Danny's eyes, like the beginning of some truth coming to the surface as if Danny wanted to say something, before it dimmed and Danny shook his head. "They were both just flukes, Mr. Lancer. There's nothing special about Danny Fenton."

He looked into Danny's eyes for the longest time, quite certain that statement was a lie, but in the end, he relented. "Alright, then… go on." Danny frowned and nodded before disappearing out the door. Mr. Lancer leaned back in his seat and sighed. He knew two things, he ultimately wanted to help every student he had regardless of how he behaved outwardly and he also believed there was something special about every person, even Daniel Fenton.

zzz

Danny, Sam, Tucker and Valerie walked down into the lab in FentonWorks that afternoon.

"Finally they had another meeting at Axion. I thought we'd never get the chance to slip into the Ghost Zone with the Specter Speeder with how often my parents have been in the lab recently," Danny spoke up before walking over to a control panel to turn the Spector Speeder on it's panel so it was facing the portal.

"So they're at another meeting at Axion not a convention or something? Geez, any idea what they're up to, Val?" Tucker asked and looked at Valerie with a slightly different look to his glance than normal. Danny and Sam glanced at each other in slight confusion or hesitation before both decided to not ask questions yet.

"No, daddy hasn't told me much of anything," Valerie replied.

The four friends were heading into the Ghost Zone so that they could hopefully talk to Clockwork and ask about the weird Ectopus thing and maybe even about what the words, Danny had spoken in Latin before, meant.

"I guess we'll find out eventually, no doubt." Danny smirked and everyone nodded in agreement. The three boarded the Spector Speeder while Tucker took the wheel. Danny transformed into Phantom and led them in.

After several minutes, they reached Clockwork's lair and entered the large double doors.

"Hello, children."

The four friends saw Clockwork float into their view and nod at them. The spirit switched to his old man form from his middle aged form, making Valerie flinch in surprise. That would take some getting used to.

"Hey there, Clockwork," Danny replied. "I'm just gonna cut to the chase, since you know… What was that Ectopus thing?"

Everyone looked at Clockwork expectantly. The old ghost sighed. "I was hoping that the timeline would choose to wait another few years, but alas…" He motioned them closer as he begun to explain.

"Do you remember that the Ghost Zone takes in all the lost items from the real world and that it's endless because thoughts and ideas are endless in the real world, hence the Infinite Realms?"

They nod.

"Well… excess emotions are another thing that is syphoned into this realm from the Human World quite easily. How else would it be such a suitable place for ghosts? Most emotions are easily diluted by the ectoplasm in the Ghost Zone or are devoured by other ghosts… only two things aren't as simple to account for. There's the emotion of Hate and the state of Purity."

"Huh?" Tucker asked a scratched his head.

"There is plenty of hatred and bitterness in the Ghost Zone, mostly because many ghosts have lingered for unsavory or deeply sorrowful circumstances. Because of this, Hate doesn't easily diffuse into the Zone because there's so much of it, often excessive amounts in the Zone and the Human World both sadly. We found out what happens when _too much_ accumulates… many years ago."

"What happened?" Sam questioned.

"Long before Pariah Dark was a problem, a dark creature formed from the bowels of the Ghost Zone from the remnants of hate from the Human World and Ghost Zone combined. It was nothing but pure hate and rage, wishing nothing less than the destruction of both worlds. It's name, was Malus."

All four teens looked at each other in worry.

"You are concerned since young Daniel spoke of this Malus, in Latin, correct?"

They looked back at him.

"Indeed… Malus is returning, but he has no fate per say, seeing as he isn't… or wasn't ever a true living being. He is quite literally merely residual energy from all kinds of creatures… so I can't follow him through time."

"What do you mean? You can see everything. That doesn't make since," Danny spoke worriedly.

Clockwork frowned. "Let me explain what exactly I mean by that with terms you may understand better. How do astronomers find the locations of Black Holes in space, Daniel?"

"By looking for their influence on everything around them, x-rays, electromagnetic radiation, clouds of interstellar matter, and stars are all common methods," Danny replied.

"Indirect detection…" Valerie whispered.

"Correct both of you, I can still find Malus and figure out his motives… It simply isn't as immediate of an answer as normal. I must assess everything he effects and then figure out his course through time from that."

"Okay then, was this Malus, the one that affected that Ectopus?" Tucker entered.

Clockwork nodded and a strangely dark look came to the normally stone-faced ghost. "His hatred… It is so deep and powerful that it halts the hearts of the living and corrupts the souls of the dead."

"Then… what about-?"

"That is where Purity comes in," Clockwork interrupted. "All creatures, dead and alive, hold some tiny fragment of Purity or Humanity, as named by humans. It helps guide our decisions and affects how we treat each of our emotions. Do we love deeply and with fairness or do we become obsessed and cause emotional harm to the one we claim to love. Do we hate for all time and only whom it is that made us angry or do we hate the thing that _caused_ _them_ to show cruelty to us? Do you see how this works? Emotions should all be used in moderation even the good ones like love and everyone has a different amount of Purity at times. Most often a human will lose half when they die and hopefully the humanity that remains will guide them to a peaceful place of rest or if it cannot overpower their obsession or hate in the end, oblivion."

"Then why wasn't I ki-?"

"I'm getting there. You see, because you are human _and_ ghost, you keep _all_ of your humanity. Your humanity also is no longer hidden within your soul like in humans. Much like Hakan spoke of, your entire soul is on the outside now and powered by your core, which is different from humans and ghosts both. It is for this reason that the Ectopus eventually was destroyed by touching you and you weren't permanently damaged by it either. Humanity or Purity immediately nullifies Hatred, like pouring water into an acid to weaken it. However, the Ectopus _did _still damage your human body. You aren't completely impervious to it's effects."

Danny looked down at the ground in thought. "Then does that mean, only Halfas can easily fight Malus and anything related to him?"

"Indeed you have a grand advantage. Malus is the reason we had only a few ancient and powerful ghosts left over able to do battle with Pariah Dark. Ghosts and humans can battle Malus, but they must show extreme precaution."

"How would humans and full ghosts attack though?" Valerie asked

"That's hard to answer."

"How can Malus be stopped? How long do we have?" Danny added.

"He can only form as collection of material once he has enough hatred, then he must find things to possess so to speak. If you can break through all the things he's taken and then vaporize his equivalent of a core, he can be destroyed for another millennia or so. The Sword of Souls can pierce his core and accomplish this. As for the time we have to come up with a plan? Months. He's weak right now and so far isn't causing enough damage anywhere so I can't see him. We can do nothing for now. Return to your lives, things will happen as they should."

"Because you _can_ see all the timelines after Malus' time here, right?"

"Indeed, Samantha."

They all glanced at each other worriedly. Danny looked one last time at Clockwork before they left. "What about the Zone? The Human World? Should we start warning everyone somehow?"

Clockwork closed his eyes. "I can not answer that because I can't interfere with the use of my knowledge. I can't go around warning people and ghosts when I see something bad approaching. Neither can you though now."

"Why?" Tucker whipped around.

"Because, I'm already pushing things by answering your question in he first place. Like I said, just live your lives and things will happen."

The four looked at each other again before walking out of the tower. Clockwork gazed into several of his viewing portals and saw they had large spots of black all over them.

"It will be a good amount of time before I can see clearly again. I just hope… things go in the way I nudge them." The old specter looked over at the dented thermos which was abnormally still and quiet.

zzz

Deep in the Ghost Zone, a purple humanoid shaped mass of gaseous material floated through the green void. It drifted silently along and eventually floated through the walls of the Observants' domain before sliding into the shadows of the dark room it was now in. In the middle of the room, was the Ring of Rage sitting on a fluffy pillow which rested on a pedestal. The Observants had used some of their technology to pull the ring from the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep after Pariah had been sealed inside _with_ it. They were still trying to find the Crown of Fire, which they believed was in Vlad's possession. The mass grabbed the ring after drifting quietly up the minuscule shadows on the pedestal. It pulled itself away from the pillow, floated above the ground and then slipped the ring on his left ring finger. Immediately the arm turned into something with more definition and form, like a real arm. It was skinny, still purple and not really powerful looking though.

"Curse… curse the boy… He took…" The mass could no longer speak and instead slipped away back into the void of the Zone.

zzz

**A couple weeks later. Fenton residence.**

It was a couple weeks later when something new happened. The four friends went through those days, fighting ghosts, going to school, and the norm, until the middle of November.

Danny had just gotten home and had picked up the mail from the mailbox since his parents were still in the lab since that morning. He saw a letter from Jazz in the bundle and smiled before walking inside. He opened the letter and read it, finding out she was doing well and she asked about how everyone was. He decided to email her later; for some reason she seemed to feel the need to write hand written letters while at college. He put everything on the table in the den and walked over to hear his parents working downstairs. He started making his way up to his room, wanting to take a shower and get some homework done.

After finishing up in the shower he threw on some clothes for inside the house. He was almost out of his room when his ghost sense went off.

"I swear it better not be the Box Ghost."

He walked over to his window and looked into the alleyway nearby to see none other than Vlad Masters standing there looking at him. He growled and transformed before flying through the wall and down to his arch-nemesis, hands blazing green.

"Okay Vlad, what do you wan-ECAK!"

Vlad had reached out and grabbed Danny's throat before he could respond and turned to slam him into the wall behind them. Danny's hands snapped up to Vlad's arm, instinctively trying to get the hand off his throat.

"I'm trying a new plan."

"You mean a new spin on the typical, make me your son and take mom as your wife gig?"

"Generally speaking, yes," Vlad replied and then squeezed Danny's throat tighter, making the young man lose his voice and start to kick his legs out in desperation. Each time his legs almost struck Vlad, the billionaire went intangible in those places. "Just sleep, Daniel." He saw Danny take a breath, most likely to try and breathe fire, since one he'd switched to his hot core and two, he'd blow his own home up with Vlad if he used the Wail. Vlad slammed his other hand over Danny's mouth and nose. "Ah ah ah, little Badger."

Danny's eyes widened as he fought for air. Vlad smirked as Danny's muffled cry of pain came out from behind Vlad's hand as the older Halfa used his Ghostly Stinger. Eventually Danny's eyes slid closed and his body went limp as he transformed back into Fenton. The multi-millionare had noticed that it was becoming a bit more difficult to knock the younger Halfa unconscious. His Ghostly Stinger only did the trick if prolonged, or if he was already knocked out, to _keep_ him unconscious. Vlad transformed into Plasmius and tossed Danny up over his shoulder just as he heard the whine of an Ecto gun.

zzz

**In the Lab. Ten minutes prior.**

Maddie and Jack were fiddling around in the Lab. Jack was working on trying to fix the Ghost Gabber still and Maddie was tweaking the Improved Ghost Gauntlets. She heard Danny come in and head upstairs and a smile came to her face. She was so proud to be protecting her city, to make it a safe place for her little boy and daughter. She frowned however when she remembered some time ago when Danny had almost become white as a sheet when she showed him and his friends the Ghost Gauntlets. Why would he become so upset? Though Danny had oddly gotten his grades up a tad recently, not that she was complaining, she was wondering what was really on her boy's mind.

Her thoughts were broken by the small beeping on a nearby monitor. It was their ghost field detector that they'd just finished installing that day. They had wanted to test it soon. At the moment, the device could only reach a few meters parameter around their home, since it required tons of energy to run. She had actually just turned it on a few minutes ago on a whim. She saw the appearance of one ghost bleep outside her home that disappeared, then another appeared immediately afterwards in her own home.

"Jack, get the Bazooka!" Maddie shouted and grabbed up a few weapons before running up the stairs. She had seen the ghost head for the alley nearby on the radar and so she flung open the front door as Jack barreled after her. She had to halt him when they heard voices. Was there still more than one ghost? How were they showing up and then disappearing on the radar? The Fentons peaked very carefully around the corner and saw something that completely blew their minds.

Vlad Masters was holding a struggling Ghost Boy, squeezing his throat. They heard their college friend speak.

"I'm trying a new plan."

"You mean a new spin on the typical, make me your son and take mom as your wife gig?"

"Generally speaking, yes," Vlad replied and then squeezed the Ghost Boy's throat tighter, making the young man start to kick his legs out. Maddie was certain Vlad would be hurt by the Ghost Boy's struggles but was confused to see the ghost's legs seem to pass through Vlad.

"Just sleep, Daniel." The pair of ghost hunters saw Phantom take a deep breath, most likely to attack, but Vlad slammed his other hand over Phantom's mouth and nose. "Ah ah ah, little Badger."

They watched as the Ghost Boy passed out after Vlad somehow electrocuted for a period of time. They had no idea how to react when they saw a bright white ring appear around the Ghost Boy's waist, separate, and slip up and down the specter's body, revealing… their son. They had to hold back a gasp when their college buddy transformed into the Wisconsin Ghost. He threw what looked like their son up over his shoulder and seemed to be ready to fly away. Maddie reacted, mostly on motherly instinct and not rationality or logic. She leapt forward with her Ecto guns drawn. The whine came to her ears and she growled.

"Drop him, spook!"

zzz

Vlad whipped his head around and cursed. "Butter biscuits." He grumbled under his breath and ignored her, taking off into the sky. _No going back now._

"Come back!"

He heard Jack yell out. He _did_ enjoy hearing that though. He eventually disappeared into invisibility and flew off. He needed to get to his mansion. It wasn't like those two had seen him transform. Even if they had somehow, they'd probably think it was a ghostly rouse of some kind.

It was only moments before he found himself in his mansion that was just outside of town, the same one he'd tried to destroy Danielle in last. He touched down and walked inside the large home. He kept going until he reached the dark lab space, underground. He placed Daniel in the same place Danielle had been; he'd altered the slab and the machines around it since then, but the location was the same. Vlad shackled Daniel's arms and legs in place, smirked and walked away. He needed to test some things and get some gear together. He had all the time in the world now. Daniel's friends would take much too long to figure out what had happened, Maddie and Jack wouldn't know where Plasmius goes, Daniel would be stated as missing and Vlad _Masters_ would do everything in his power to find him, the same didn't apply to _Plasmius_. Vlad _Masters_ was a man of his word after all. The only thing he wished was that Daniel's parents hadn't seen their son taken away in the first place. One tiny hitch in a plan was one too many in Vlad's opinion.

He gave one last glance back at the unconscious Daniel. No one would hear his screams and no one would miraculously save him this time. Vlad left the lab and shut the heavy metal door behind him, leaving Danny in pitch black darkness.

**zzzzzzzzzzzzz**

**Well **_**this**_** is quite the situation…**

**What do you think?**

**zzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**Great: PS I wonder what are your plans for Mr. Lancer. He wants to help Danny, but how is the question. As moral support? Informant?**

**NoSignal: I guess you'll have to wait and see :)**

**transmetaljohn: To be the richest man on the planet, this would make Vlad a billionaire or a multi-billionaire and not just a millionaire. Other than that, you were great.**

**I'm eager to see where you take this story and look forward to the next chapter.**

**NoSignal: Yeah I realize he's more than a millionaire. I guess I just opted to use millionaire as the adjective rather than being technical, but I'll keep it in mind and try to use multi-millionaire instead. If I can remember :P Thanks for the kind words by the way!**

**zz**

**Thank you all so much for your reviews and support of all kinds! It really means a lot to me. Sometimes it even surprises _me_ how much just the right review can motivate me :D**

**zzzz**

**Vlad: Snicker-doodles, I've got that Buffoon on my tail.**

**Jack: BANZAI!**

**Vlad: *facepalm***

**~NoSignal**


	8. A Family is Made Whole

**And here we go.**

**Sorry for the cliffy last chapter.**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes." ~ Walter M. Schirra, Sr._

zzz

Unfortunately for Vlad, Danny's luck seemed to like him only when it mattered the absolute most, other times it was often absent entirely.

Sam had a smile on her face as she walked down the road. She had decided on quite a whim to have dinner at Danny's. Though that wasn't in a of itself a bizarre thing, it _was_ kinda new to go with just him and his parents there and no one else. It was a relaxing way to 'meet the parents' even if Mr. and Mrs. Fenton practically knew her and Tucker like their long lost children. For some odd reason her parents had even consented. Little did she know, it would be the best coincidence ever.

She got to Fenton Works after her walk, only to see that the front door was open and crashing and rough movement was coming from the inside. She ran up the stairs to the door to looked inside and saw Maddie and Jack looking all over the place for something.

"Are you sure it's in the couch cushions, Jack!?"

"I remember having it on my lap when I was eating cheese puffs!"

"I really need you to try and remember better darling!"

"I know I know, Danny-boy needs us! Wait. Fudge."

"Fudge? Jack Fenton! We can't think of something so silly at a time like this!"

"No I mean the hidden Fudge compartment in the freezer! That's where the Fenton Ghost locato-maxium-portable device prototype is!" He charged, as Jack Fenton does, into the kitchen.

"We have a hidden fudge compartment there?"

Sam finally moved forward and spoke, "Mrs. Fenton? What's going on?"

Maddie looked over at Sam and frowned deeply. "That despicable Wisconsin Ghost! We saw him carry off Danny!"

Sam tried to not to gasp but instead an angry scowl came to her face.

"It was the strangest thing though. The Wisconsin ghost kept manipulating his and Danny's appearances. One moment it was like Vlad Masters was holding the Ghost Boy and then suddenly the Wisconsin Ghost was holding Danny! I've never seen form manipulation that used white black or any colored rings of light before."

Sam paled and gulped. "Really?"

"Hopefully Jack can find the F.G.L.M.P device quickly. It's much more effective than the Boo-merang and will help us find the Wisconsin Ghost since we have a tiny sample of his ectoplasmic electrical signature from when Jack beat him with the Ghost Gauntlets. I have to fix a few bugs, first though. I just hope Danny can hold on until a few hours from now."

"Found it!" Jack's voice boomed from the kitchen.

"That's great dear!"

Sam darted off once Maddie wasn't looking and ran down the street as fast as possible. She had to find Tucker and Valerie. They had to find Danny before Vlad did who knows what.

_What was that Fruit-loop thinking? Letting Danny's parents see them both transform? Did he even know?_ She pushed herself even harder than before.

She had always worried about Danny from the start, but now that they were something a little more than friends, an even deeper sense of dread filled her gut. She couldn't imagine Danny in pain at all anymore; the very thought almost made her _her_ of all people, cry. She just hoped she and the others could get there in time; Tucker's house now loomed in the distance.

zzz

Danny slowly opened his eyes and was slightly confused when he saw nothing but darkness. He could hear nothing and see nothing wherever he was. He tried to use his ghost powers to maximize his nocturnal vision abilities, but he couldn't even make his eyes glow.

He started to remember bits and pieces of what had happened, most importantly that Vlad was the reason he was wherever he was. After a few more minutes, he was beginning to become unnerved by how much the darkness and silence, minus his breathing, was bothering him. Finally, the lights came on, too quickly, ironically. They blinded him for a moment and he turned his head and squinted against the light.

"Ah good, you're awake."

Danny growled and glared at Vlad as he approached. His eyes finally adjusted to the light. Vlad frowned and then spoke again.

"I've come to a conclusion, Daniel. I can't clone you. Because as they say, you can't copy perfection and if I want a perfect son, I can't copy you. See the logic there?"

"Your idea of logic and my idea of logic are two different things, Fruit-loop."

-SLAP!-

Danny faltered for a moment. Vlad had punched him, kicked him, burned him, electrocuted him, and more, but this was the first time he could remember Vlad slapping him. For some strange reason, it hurt worse.

"You will not speak to your future father that way, Daniel."

Danny turned his head back forward to face Vlad. With a dangerous glare, Danny spoke, "You- are not- my father."

"After some time here, I think you'll change your mind." A cruel smile came to Vlad's face as he pulled out some strange device. It looked a lot like the Plasmius Maximus, but had red barbs instead of green. He plunged the device into Danny's gut and pushed the button. Red pulses of energy flooded Danny's system and he started to scream in pain. He felt his temperature rising, forcing him into his hot core and then beyond. He didn't even get the chance to react before somehow he was forced into his ghost form as well. Though he was now in his ghost form, he felt strangely powerless; maybe it had something to do with the odd green glowing shackles that were holding him in place. Vlad finally pulled the device away and Danny gave one last wail of pain as he stopped. Danny was panting and beginning to sweat when Vlad spoke.

"You see, this device forces a hybrid to switch into their ghost form. It's pretty much the opposite of the Plasmius Maximus. The unfortunate kink I've been unable to fix is that it messes with their powers. In your case it seems to be over exciting your hot core. I wonder if… you refuse to obey me, if irony will play a cruel trick and cause you to meet your demise the way your vile clone should've, hm?" He turned with a flick of his cape and walked out.

"I'll be back, Daniel. I'll come back with the other things I require and hopefully you won't need anymore persuasion. It does hurt me to hurt you, after all." The metal door slammed closed again and Danny was alone once more. He could feel the sweat rolling down his body and making his HAZMAT suit feel even more stuck to his body than normal. If he could move his arms he would've been tempted to pull at the collar of his suit; the heat was almost unbearable, suffocating. He could only wonder how he'd get out of this one.

zzz

"Vlad's got Danny!?" Valerie shouted.

"This isn't new, Val. Vlad has done this several times. We'll zoom in save Danny's butt and zoom out. Piece of cake!" Tucker explained.

Sam shook her head. "It's different this time, Tuck. Danny's parents saw him get taken this time and not only that but they saw the Ghost Boy turn into Danny and Vlad Masters turn into Plasmius."

"Wait…" Valerie paused.

"They weren't quite sure what they saw though… Point is we need to save Danny before they do figure anything out."

"Snap. Missing school?" Tucker asked.

"Probably." Sam sighed.

"Well I'm going to get grounded," Tucker grumbled. "Danny owes me big time."

"Tucker," Sam hissed.

"Alright alright! Can't you take a joke?" Tucker laughed nervously.

The three friends left the meeting place between Tucker's and Valerie's houses they'd found after Sam had called them and ran towards Fenton Works. They'd need equipment and somehow they'd have to get it without being seen. They did the most logical thing and went up into Danny's room, tip-toeing by the lab stairs. Once in their friend's room, they were able to find most of what they needed. Along with Valerie's suit they should be fine. Sam took notice of Danny's backpack up against his bed and the discarded clothes about. He must've been completely taken off guard or even thought it was just the Box Ghost.

"Let's go. I've been waiting for the chance to get back at Vlad," Valerie growled.

Sam nodded and Tucker followed loyally as they exited the Fenton home.

"The real question is which mansion of Vlad's would he have taken Danny to?" Sam asked.

Tucker pulled out his PDA and started searching for something. "I think he'd almost _have_ to use the one just outside of town. He has a meeting or two as mayor in the next two days." Tucker turned his PDA around to show Sam and Valerie the schedule that was on his screen.

"Then let's go. Get on." Valerie transformed into her suit and Sam and Tucker sat on the back together. All three then zoomed off.

zzz

He really could use a drink of water about now. He let out another shuttering breath. For all he knew, not a single person knew where he was. A tiny part of him feared that this time he wouldn't get away, but he kept trying to tell himself not to give up. He had to wonder though how much of this he could take.

"Wondering how much of this you can take, Daniel?"

He wanted to but he wouldn't dare groan out loud. He glanced up as Vlad Plasmius walked down into the lab. He shrugged and walked over to a keyboard nearby.

"Well this is it." Vlad spoke and slipped a few computer chips into the control panel that was beside the vertical slab Danny was strapped to. "This machine will contain your free-will into a more manageable form. You see I found this mineral, which is helping to power the machine. It's called the stones of Akili. You know the rumor about how salt is supposed to help keep ghosts away? Well turns out that's a myth, but there's always a kernel of truth in myths as people say. Witch-doctors used to use this mineral and throw it on ghosts as a powder, bringing them under their control. However, to control the ghost you have to know just how much to use. Too much and the ghost would be weakened greatly, too little and they fled. Good thing I figured out the formula behind this process. At least… I do know how much is too much… I just need to figure out how much is just enough and you're going to help me with that Daniel."

Immediately after Vlad finished talking, he pulled a lever and orange electricity covered Danny's body. At first it felt like Danny was going to go to sleep from the energy going through him. With a jerk of realization however, Danny realized that's just what the mineral was trying to do; it was lowering his inhibitions. When he tried to fight the mineral's effects though, pain flooded his veins. The young man screamed at the top of his lungs. Vlad looked over at a monitor and could see something of a graph. There was a horizontal line at the top which indicated the limit Vlad couldn't pass; there was a line below as well increasing like a graph line towards the top, but dipping a lot too. As he'd guessed, Daniel was fighting it. Vlad was grinning, as after several minutes of Daniel's shouts of pain and wails of torment, the graph started to slowly climb at a more stable state. The heat of the young hybrid's core and the machine with the stones of Akili were simply too much for Daniel.

*Ding* "Sweet-ums… intruders are approaching."

Vlad roared in anger and looked down at his watch. A tiny Maddie hologram appeared and informed him further. He hissed and turned the machine off. This process was one he couldn't just leave and come back to; Vlad had to be present and not keep his eyes off the machine's data and Daniel's progress. He'd have to deal with the intruders and then come back.

Danny's body fell limply against the shackles on his wrists and ankles and he let out a gasp of air which threatened to turn into a whine.

"Screaming for anyone is futile, Daniel. So save your breath."

Vlad disappeared upstairs and shut the thick iron door behind him. Danny wasn't one to ever listen to Vlad so he screamed, tears of desperation pricking at the corners of his eyes.

zzz

They touched down softly, a distance from the mansion and surveyed the area.

"Vlad probably knows we're here." Sam mused and looked around.

"Then do we just go?" Tucker asked.

"I don't think we have much choice," Sam nodded.

Valerie grinned in spite of herself, "Let's go."

The three friends ran towards the mansion and went inside. Valerie didn't pick anything up on her ghost detector, but she had been told by Sam and Tucker that hybrids often didn't active those types of devices if they were in human form and using little bits of power, like enough for invisibility. It was dead quiet in the mansion. No one was there.

"Where is anyone?" Tucker whispered.

"Maybe… they aren't here?" Valerie asked.

"But logistically speaking that doesn't make sense," Tucker spoke.

Sam crossed her arms and looked around. She glanced at Tucker and Valerie and they nodded.

"DANNY! DANNNNY! ARE YOU THERE!?"

All three of them split up, either they'd flush Vlad out or Danny would be able to call out to them… so they thought.

zzz

He could see his friends and hear them on the monitor that Vlad had turned on after leaving. He screamed louder and louder hoping they hear, but they never seemed to make a movement or paused as if anything had changed. Vlad appeared in front of him smiling. "I told you to save your breath."

He walked over and turned on the machine. Danny started shrieking as soon as he started to refuse the influence of the stones once more. The orange electricity sparked and flickered across his form as Vlad watched the line on the graph move and bounce higher and higher. "They can't hear you…" Vlad spoke in a sing-song voice. "They'll give up… soon enough."

Danny's cries of torment echoed in the metal lab and were halted by it's thick walls and door.

zzz

"They just aren't here. I even checked the way to the lab. It's not there anymore. He must've I don't know moved it? I didn't hear anything either, not a peep." Valerie shrugged and transformed out of her suit.

Tucker scratched his head. "It just doesn't make sense though… It's not… Vlad-esque? To be late for a meeting or something."

Sam shook her head and looked around worriedly one last time. Valerie placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find him, Sam."

"I know."

The three friends then started their walk out of the mansion. They were out of the front door and going down the dirt road, when Sam froze and stood stock still.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Valerie and Tucker asked at the same time.

Sam looked at them closely but then they saw her flinch again. She glanced back up at the mansion and growled. "Come on! Danny's in there! I don't know how I know, but I know!"

The three friends turned to dart back towards the mansion, when they heard some other voices.

"Kids, what are you doing here!?"

zzz

Vlad was laughing like crazy as Danny's friends walked out of the mansion front doors. Danny could only writhe in pain from the machine and continue to scream. His eyes, blurry from heat and agony, focused on Sam's ebony hair and shirt out of the three forms. He screamed again but for some reason nothing came out of his sore throat that time. At least, nothing verbal.

_Guys! Please! No! Don't GO! SAM! _

Vlad frowned when he saw the Goth girl pause. Danny was a bit confused, but both hybrids were wondering a similar thing.

_Did she hear that?_

_Did she hear something?_

Danny suddenly was overjoyed when they all three turned and came back towards the mansion. He didn't see his parents join the three or anything else after that, since he simply slipped into unconsciousness.

Vlad cursed. "Snicker-doodles!" Daniel had just slipped unconscious but Vlad had had to turn off the machine almost immediately. So very close to seeing if his plan had worked and yet he _had_ to go see to his intruders now. Maddie and Jack had appeared and the goth girl friend of Daniels' seemed to have figured out, somehow, that Daniel was indeed here. He again couldn't be absent while the process finished.

Vlad glanced down at the graph and saw just how close to the limit he'd had to go to even try and get Daniel under his control. The line was a few inches from going over the horizontal line on the graph. Perhaps the stones of Aliki weren't the right route after all. The risk of weakening Daniel too much was a bit too great. If he ever actually destroyed Daniel…

Vlad grumbled and shook his head. Before slipping through the ceiling with intangibility as Masters. He had to go great his guests.

zzz

"Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, uh… what are _you_ doing here?" Tucker asked. Sam and Valerie both face palmed.

"Oddly enough, that spook seems to be hiding in Vlad's home. Maybe that's why it prefers to use his appearance," Maddie spoke.

"That ghastly ghoul! Taking on Vladdie's appearance like that!" Jack growled.

Sam and the others looked at each other before nodding. They needed to give the Fentons some kind of warning about Vlad even if it was as simple as saying that Plasmius could at any time look like Masters.

"Look it's not quite that simple, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." Sam began.

"What's not so simple Mrs. Manson?"

Everyone turned around and saw Vlad Masters standing at the door.

Tucker grumbled under his breath to were only Sam and Valerie could hear. "Told you."

Jack jumped forward, "Vladdie, or is that really you, Vladdie?" Jack started happily and then his face turned into a scowl.

Vlad seemed to be surprised at first but then frowned. "Jack, stop being so ridiculous." He looked over at Maddie. "Surely and educated and wonderful woman like yourself can see it's me, Maddie?" Vlad was suddenly by her and holding her hands.

Maddie pulled her hands from his and grumbled. "It would explain some things."

Vlad rose a brow.

Sam kept feeling something tick at the back of her mind. She turned and looked at the doors before she looked at her friends. They nodded in understanding and were prepared to stay while she got a head start. She slipped through the front doors quietly and got inside the house.

"He has to be in the lab, wherever the lab is now."

She ran for the place Valerie had talked about and looked around for any sign that the other ghost hunter may have missed. She finally found a football behind a stack of books and pulled it. The door went up. "Even when you're trying to be sneaky you can't be." She then ran into the lab and skidded to a halt.

There he was.

He was hanging limply against the restraints on him and taking deep trembling breaths. Even though he was in his ghost form, for some reason he seemed unable to heal the few burns that were leaking from the tears on his suit. She spied the glowing green shackles and imagined those were keeping him from healing or using his powers more. She ran forward and started looking for a way to release him.

"Sa- Sam?"

His voice was broken and shaky; Sam realized he must've been screaming. She looked up and saw his baby-blue eyes glance back at her. They were clouded in pain. She could also feel an aura of warmth around him and knew his hot core was somehow active; he had to be burning up.

"Don't worry, Danny. I'm getting you out of here."

"My… hot… core…"

"Don't worry, I've got you."

They both suddenly heard other voices.

"It's the Ghost Boy!"

Tucker and Valerie came running over and Maddie and Jack bounded over as well. Maddie's face adopted a confused look at the sight of the ghost, obviously restrained. She growled and turned to look at Vlad.

"Who are you. How could Vlad Masters not know the Ghost Boy was down here!?" She aimed a ecto gun at him.

"Show yourself! Where's Vlad!?" Jack added.

Vlad glared at Danny and his friends before he transformed into Plasmius.

"It is I, the Wisconsin Ghost… Fear Me." Vlad spoke without much emotion, acting poorly on purpose. He was obviously irritated but had no other better out at the moment. "I do not stand a chance against such capable…" He paused when he saw Jack trying to untangle the Fenton Ghost Fisher. Vlad ground his teeth and continued. "-Such capable hunters. I'll shall now flee this Place known as Amity!" Vlad then shot through the roof of the mansion. He was no doubt going to claim, like he had with Valerie that Vlad Masters had been locked up at City Hall or something and Plasmius had simply taken on his appearance.

Once he was gone, everyone's attention turned to Danny or well, Phantom. Sam finally found the way to release her boyfriend and he almost crashed onto the floor. Sam was able to grab him in a hug to prevent him from falling all the way. The one thing however they weren't expecting was for Danny Phantom to suddenly transform in Danny Fenton.

There was silence.

_Oh no… He must have been beyond exhausted. What did Vlad do to him?_ Sam took one glance at the machine next to where he'd been hanging. A scowl crossed her face and she growled mentally. _Vlad…_ He was the least of their worries right now though.

"Sam, drop the ghost and step away slowly dear. We'll find out where Danny is, why he's taking on his form and then study him."

"Aw but Mads, what about molecule by molecule?"

Sam didn't listen of course and held Danny close to her; she felt him stir and could see some of his burns start to heal. He was still kinda out of it, when he leaned forward and rested his head in the crook of Sam's shoulder and neck.

"Thanks, Sam…"

"Don't talk to her like that, spook!"

Sam felt Danny tense immediately. Even in the state he was in, he knew his parents' voices. He was putting things together some. She knew he was going to panic. If his parents didn't believe him or didn't love him anymore… Sam, Tucker, Valerie, may go to jail or something for helping a specter, but Danny? He'd be a lab rat and he knew that. She could feel his heart rate increase and a few tremors of nerves run through him. Sam placed her hands softly on his back to try and calm him the best she could. He dared to glance up and into the angry and judgmental eyes of his parents.

_Why?_

He flinched hard at the memory with Hakan and learning to control his rage.

_The two greatest ghost hunters in the world and you can't even figure out that your own son is half-ghost!_

Dan's deep, rage fueled voice echoed through his mind. He swallowed and made a decision that he'd needed to for a almost three years now. He stood up slowly and backed away from Sam a bit.

"Mom? Dad?" He asked cautiously.

Everyone saw them falter. I mean, if he had been a manipulative ghost it was a good trick.

"Stop playing with our emotions, Ghost Boy!" Jack growled.

"Where's our son? Where's our boy!?" Maddie returned.

They started to march towards him with their weapons glowing and whirring with unleashed energy. Danny instinctually backed up with each step they took.

Danny gulped. "It's me… Danny Fenton, is Danny Phantom. It's just a name, Mom. It's like Spider-man or Batman… just a disguise."

"That's impossible. That would mean Danny's dead. Our son, isn't dead!" Maddie shouted.

Danny flinched. "Half dead, technically speaking."

They kept approaching and Danny kept moving back, until his back hit the cold wall of the lab. He could see his friends tense up worriedly from where they were standing and act as though they were going to try and stop his parents. Danny looked right into the googles of his mother's jumpsuit that covered her eyes and then into his father's blue eyes that looked hard at him. Their guns were pointed at his chest and his heartbeat was in his ears, so Danny closed his eyes and waited.

_This is it. They don't understand. Their going to waste me. My own parents are going to waste me…_

_Not a ghost, not a boy. Who could love a thing like you?_

At the same time, the Fentons were thinking their own thoughts.

Maddie was conflicted. She couldn't remember a time when she didn't want to shoot at a ghost. Her hesitancy had to be from how the ghost was trying to look like her son. The idea of not listening to your eyes and pulling the trigger, even on something that only looked like someone you loved was not easy. But it was something else too, something more. Mothers always seemed to know when something bad has happened to their child and while Maddie didn't usually believe in things that hadn't been scientifically proven, she couldn't deny what she was feeling right now. Her son, wherever he was, was hurt and scared. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. Maddie reminded herself that this ghost might know where her son was and that's what she fueled herself with as she prepared to fire at the blob of post-human subconsciousness. One final memory echoed through her mind though. _If he could mature, then did that mean he could feel emotions too?_ Could she harm something that could maybe feel to find out where her son was?

Jack Fenton was clumsy and sometimes a bit of a wishful thinker, but it was that wishful thinking that allowed him to think outside the box and be an inventor in the first place. He'd come up with all kinds of things; his beautiful wife would look over what he constructed and together they'd edit his work until it was complete. Not to say Maddie didn't invent her own things. Jack was having similar thoughts to Maddie's regarding having to pull the trigger on something that even resembled his son. It was… unsettling. He had to find his son though; Jack Fenton wasn't perfect, but he'd lock himself in the Fenton Stockades forever if he didn't protect his family and friends.

Maddie and Jack were about to pull the triggers on their guns…

When Sam pushed in between them and shielded as much of Danny's body as she could with her own.

"Don't shoot!" She exclaimed and gripped Danny tightly. Danny's eyes snapped open and he gasped lightly, not expecting something to touch him before he was blasted.

"Sweetie, you need to get out of the way. We need to find Danny!" Maddie exclaimed.

Sam remained as she was, wrapped around Danny like she was protecting a large Oak from being torn down by bulldozers.

"He already told you! Phantom is Fenton! It's always only been Danny!"

Jack frowned, seemingly more open to the idea of something so bizarre, but Maddie was still in denial.

"Sam, honey… The Ghost Boy must have some sort of hold on you."

Sam gritted her teeth, trying to think of something to say to convince them that they were about to shoot their own son, when…

"Just move away, Sam… I don't want you to get hurt in the cross-fire," Danny whispered.

Sam shivered a bit against her will since he'd practically whispered in her ear, but she could also feel him trembling… trembling with fear and despair.

"No, your stupid big heart won't get the glory this time," She practically snapped back in a whisper and then a light dawned in her eyes. "Your heart…" She glanced up into Danny's dulled blue eyes and then slowly turned to face the Fentons. "Jack, Maddie… Will you do one thing? I want you to understand that this _is_ Danny and I can prove it."

Jack perked up and glanced at his wife. After a few minutes, Maddie nodded. Jack frowned and slowly put down his weapon. He gave Maddie another look and she stayed where she was, weapon ready. Sam moved out of the way slightly but was still at Danny's side. Jack walked over slowly and watched Sam tense as if ready to attack him if he should hurt the Danny look-a-like. He kneeled slightly and looked Danny in the eyes.

"Danny-boy, is that really you?" Jack asked.

Danny nodded slowly. Sam reached out and carefully grabbed his Jack's hand. Jack flinched once as she started to pull his large hand towards Danny, but remained still as his hand came to Danny's chest.

-Thump- thump- Thump-thump- Thump-thump-

Jack could feel it. Something that no ghost could fake, a human heart. He glanced at Sam who glanced at Danny and nodded. Jack gasped when the white lights of the rings went over Danny and turned him into Phantom. The light felt warm when it passed over his hand and then he realized… it was still there.

-Thump- thump- Thump-thump- Thump-thump-

"My heart rate and body temperature are lower than most people, but I'm still okay… just different," Danny spoke up nervously.

"Jack?" Maddie asked from a distance. Jack looked up at Sam and Tucker and Valerie to see them nodding, confirming that this was really Danny.

Jack looked over at Maddie as he felt a few tears start to already form. "Mads… It's him. Danno's really Phantom."

Maddie faltered slightly and just stared at Jack. Finally after a moment of staring at Jack's unfaltering gaze, she dropped her weapon and walked swiftly to where they were. Jack smiled and placed his wife's hand on their son's chest to hear that same heartbeat.

"Sweetie?" Maddie asked as tears started to form and fall from her own eyes. Before he could reply, she lunged at him and grabbed him into a hug. "Oh baby, why didn't you tell us, how'd this happen, I don't understand, don't worry we'll fix things." She was surprised when Danny suddenly jerked back from her hug.

"I'll answer all your questions, but do not DO NOT try a fix me. I don't need fixing. Besides… trying to fix me… it doesn't turn out well. Trust me."

His parents looked at each other and Danny was surprised when they smiled calmly. "Honey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything like that…" Danny frowned in worry when his mother started to cry harder. "Oh my baby, we… we…"

Danny was shocked to even see a bit of a misty look in his father's eyes, before the man pulled him close into a hug. Maddie scooted over and the three Fentons shared a long hug while the others waited patiently. Eventually Danny's parents had calmed down enough and Maddie spoke.

"Danny is that why you got as white as a ghos- oops."

"Don't worry Mrs. F, those sorts of puns are hard to avoid," Tucker grinned, joining in the conversation and never failing to dissipate the seriousness of a moment.

"Oh shut it, Tuck," Danny barked but gave a smirk too.

"He's wanted…. dead or alive! Waaaanted, dead or aliiiiiiveeee!" Tucker wailed out and everyone clasped their hands over their ears. Valerie smacked him in the back of his head for good measure.

"Tucker! What did we agree to after the Ember incident!?" Sam growled.

"No more of Tucker's singing?" Tucker asked in third person.

"Right," Sam replied.

Danny smiled and looked back at his parents. "Let's go home… and I'll tell you everything."

zzz

So the group of six picked themselves up and headed to Fenton Works. It would take almost all the rest of the day and night to explain everything, so Sam, Tucker, and Valerie decided to spend the night at Danny's place. Sam and Valerie would get Jazz's room since she was gone and Tucker would sleep in Danny's room. Their parents all were okay with that except Sam had to have a shouting match with her mother and father explaining that she wouldn't leave Jazz's room after lights out and Danny wouldn't leave his either after lights out. Danny had been blushing the whole time and Tucker had been messing with him about it until Valerie had pushed hard on Tucker's head and strained the boy's neck. Danny had taken the hidden Cryodisc from his room an put it on himself to help cool down from Vlad's manipulation to his hot core. He explained briefly what it was to his parents and promised to explain fully soon.

After a somewhat awkward, but peaceful meal, everyone sat in the living room for the four teens to tell their fantastical tale. Danny began with well, the beginning of course.

"Mom, Dad? Do you remember when you thought the portal wasn't going to work?"

Both nodded.

"Me, Danny, and Tucker went to check it out. We were being stupid and I egged Danny into going into the portal and looking around." Sam explained.

"Being the klutz I am, I tripped a bit and put my hand on the wall to stabilize myself. I clicked a button of some kind and everything went white."

"We could just hear him screaming…" Sam murmured and looked away. "It was terrible."

"Yeah I thought my best friend was well, gone." Tucker added.

Maddie gasped and a hand came to her mouth. "Oh God… It… It…"

Danny frowned and looked down. "Yeah, it turned on with me in it. I remember feeling a lot of pain, but more specifically I remember… not wanting to die. It's a strange kind of feeling, different from what you'd expect. I felt everything slipping away, my sight, my touch, my smell, my taste, but right before my hearing went… I heard them."

Sam and Tucker perked up, not having heard Danny explain so much detail about his time in the portal, while Valerie listened closely, picking up any new info she'd not been told yet.

"Sam and Tuck's voices. They were screaming my name. I wanted to go to them, stay with them. I couldn't leave them, so I fought. It felt like something ignited in my chest and then I was free. I stubbled out of the portal. Sam tried to grab me but I fell through her. They were both looking at me weird and so I moved over to a mirror and I saw… My hair was white as snow, the hazmat suit's colors were inverted and my eyes were radioactive green. I heard you both storming down into the lab to see who screamed and that was when my rings formed and changed me back into Fenton."

"After that, we were simply trying to get Danny under the radar for a few weeks while we decided what to do. He was walking through things, things were falling through him, his pants were coming off when he was nervous." Tucker finished with an evil grin.

"Gee thanks Tuck."

"No problem, dude."

"So that's why you got banned from Chemistry lab at school!" Maddie exclaimed.

Danny rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… I couldn't hold a test tube without it slipping through my hand. It was like trying harder and harder to hold butter."

Sam smiled and looked at both parents. "Eventually he got better though, and at some point-"

"It was after the Lunch Lady… I knew."

Sam smiled again. "Danny wanted to protect Amity from all the ghosts that were coming through the portal. Me and Tucker started to help."

So it went on like this for a while, The four friends explained everything, including how Valerie eventually had found out and started helping too as the Red Huntress and how Jazz had found out and helped them before that. The last few things they kept out were Vlad, Dani, and Dan… At the moment Danny was talking about all the ghosts in the ghost zone and how his ghostly abilities had grown.

"Frostbite was a great teacher, especially on such sort notice. He's been hinting at wanting to teach me to make ectoplasm constructs and then incase them in ice. It's supposed to make them stronger. Hakan is a bit… strict but I guess you need that for learning about fire. Clockwork's really kind, you know, being Father Time and all. I can show you all our files. Please do listen to me about which ghosts are good and bad though."

It had taken a bit to convince his parents that some full ghosts were good, but after giving them the info that good ghosts liked the Zone, Clockwork ruled over time, mentioning all the times ghosts had actually helped him and that ghosts all had humanity still inside them, since Clockwork had just taught them that, they started to listen to the idea. The Fenton parents were glowing really, watching their son talk on and on about what his life had been like for so long. Their Danny was back, the Danny that was warm and honest, the Danny that truly loved his parents, not that they thought he didn't love them anymore before, but the difference was obvious. They were so proud too.

Danny eventually got around to explain all the misunderstandings like he had with Valerie, Freakshow, Walker and the Mayor, blasting them, and everything else. They asked him over and over to forgive them and he only said that he had a long time ago and their willingness to still love him was more than enough.

After almost everything had been discussed, Vlad finally came up.

"Okay I know you're wondering about Vlad…" Danny started.

"He really is that ghost then, like you?" Maddie asked.

Danny nodded slowly. "His Ecto-Ache in College is what caused it. He blamed dad for it and still does. His hate helped form his obsession, but his obsession is really emotionally complex. He wants to kill dad, marry mom, and have me as his perfect half-ghost son. I don't really know what he plans to do with Jazz."

"Vladdie? Why…" Jack spoke out and looked into Danny's sorrowful eyes to find an answer that couldn't be given. Danny felt really bad for his dad. It would kill Danny for Tucker to become like Vlad is to Jack.

"I knew something was fishy about him as of late," Maddie grumbled.

Tucker deadpanned. "An experience?"

"You don't even know." Danny and Maddie spoke at the same time and smiled at each other. Maddie gasped.

"Oh Danny! I put the Spector Deflector on you! I could've hurt you terribly!"

"It's okay mom, really."

Suddenly a darker look came over Maddie's face and she looked at Danny. She placed a hand on Danny cheek and rubbed it. "Vlad… He… He was hurting you down there…"

Jack flinched at the thought when he realized his wife was right. When they'd come down into the lab area, Phantom… or well… Danny, had been looking pretty rough.

Danny glanced away. "Just... you know… Fruit-loopiness. He, like I said wants me as his son, just like he wants you as his wife. He's not subtle with you, but he's gentle, me? He kinda gets mad at me for not obeying good ol' dad."

Jack's frown turned into a scowl after hearing that.

"But I'm fine now… if a little hot. He kinda messed with my hot core. That what this disc is here. Clockwork gave it to me if I should get too hot."

Jack finally spoke up, wanting to change the subject from his college frien- ex-friend's actions, "Can you ever forgive us for hunting you, Danny-boy?" Jack asked and put a hand on Danny's shoulder.

"Like I said, already had." He paused for a moment, considering mentioning Dani and Dan… but decided against it for now. They needed time. They saw him with an open mouth so he switched to something else. "Don't let Vlad know you know about me or him. At least do the best you can. Try to act normal around him at all costs. As soon as he finds out you two know and mom doesn't approve, he'll majorly flip out."

"Man I can kinda already picture that," Tucker winced. "That won't be pretty."

"He'll probably beat up on me a bunch for it. Blame me for it, even though _he_ kidnapped _me_ in front of them in the first place!" Danny spoke and threw his hands up.

"Not on my watch!" Jack suddenly bellowed and took on a oddly dangerous look. "He might have been my friend, but no ex-friend of mine will hurt anyone in my family!"

"Thanks dad, but you both have to lay low. When his illusion of power and control is threatened he looses touch sometimes."

"You've been listening to Jazz again, haven't you?" Sam asked.

Danny sighed, "Not like I have much choice."

Maddie smiled and brought Danny in for another tight hug. "We're so proud of you, Danny."

Danny let a smile come to his face and he hugged her back. "Thanks Mom."

"Hey Son! How about after school you can show me and your mother your abilities." Jack bounced excitedly on the couch making Tucker and Valerie bounce against their wills.

Danny nodded nervously. "Yeah, sure."

Maddie stood up and took a deep relaxing breath. "Okay then, how about you all go upstairs and get ready for bed? It's been a long day and it's getting late."

"The day might not be over if a ghost pops up," Danny grumbled.

Jack perked up.

Maddie frowned, "Is that why you've been so tired all the time?"

Danny laughed a bit. "Yeah pretty much."

Maddie nodded sadly. "Try your best to get some sleep though, sweetie, and tell us if a ghost comes around."

"You'll probably have to explain yourself at times if you guys are wanting to help me or something."

"You could be my sidekick, Danno!" Jack shouted.

Tucker stood up. "Oh no. No, no, no. I will not be the sidekick of the sidekick!"

Danny turned to Tucker. "Aw Tuck, no one's a sidekick here. _Team_ Phantom, remember?"

Maddie laughed a bit and shooed the kids to their rooms. She turned and looked at Jack after the teens had tromped up the stairs.

"I can't believe it."

"Neither can I." Jack leaned back against the soft cushions and swiped a piece of fudge from the coffee table.

Maddie rubbed her arms. "How could we not have seen this. I mean looking back everything makes sense now. His behavior, his grades, the machines going off around him…"

"The Ghost Gabber!" Jack shouted and face palmed. "Of course!"

Maddie smiled and shook her head before setting against Jack on the couch and leaning into him. "Well it's not everyday that you find out your son's a hero and your college friend is a manipulative creep or well an _evil_ manipulative creep."

Jack frowned. "Yeah… I just had no idea Vladdie was so mad. Mads… was his accident my fault? Did I cause all this? Without me making that mini-portal work in college before, Vlad and Danny might have been fine and ghosts wouldn't have been coming through."

Maddie laced her hand into Jack's much larger one. "No dear. If it is your fault then it's as much mine too, but we'll get through this together as one big family."

Jack nodded and placed his other hand on top of his wife's hand

zzz

The four friends were now sitting in the hallway together between Danny and Jazz's rooms in their night clothes. Danny was near the middle with Sam on his left and Tucker on his right and Valerie was on the other side of Tucker.

"Well that went pretty well," Valerie spoke up.

"Well considering I'm not strapped to a lab table being torn apart molecule by molecule or dissected… yeah I think it went well." Danny shrugged and gave a relaxed sigh.

Sam nodded calmly. "I knew they would understand. I mean… After the Reality Gauntlet I was sure."

"Reality Gauntlet?" Valerie questioned. Tucker smiled at her as a sign he'd tell her later.

"Though this time was a bit different and they took a bit more convincing." Danny added.

After a moment of quiet, Danny spoke again, asking a question of his own. "Hey Sam? How'd you know to come back to Vlad's?"

Sam, Tucker and Valerie looked up at him.

"Dude, you could see us?" Tucker asked.

Danny frowned angrily. "Oh yeah I could. Vlad was having a grand time of it, since no matter how loud I could yell it wouldn't get through the walls of that lab."

"That creep," Valerie hissed and clenched her fists. She still had a bone or two to pick with the billionaire and learning about his meetings with Danny, past and present, only fueled her more.

"Well I… I heard you?" Sam spoke kinda more like a question than an answer.

"Uh what do you mean?" Tucker asked and leaned forward.

"I don't know… I just heard him, like in my mind or something. He was yelling for us."

Danny was looking at her closely before he spoke. "You know… I felt the last words I yelled were different, like they were mental rather than verbal."

Tucker whipped out his PDA and started to look for something relevant no doubt.

"You think you used telepathy on me?" Sam asked.

Danny shrugged.

"The supposed communication of thoughts or ideas by means other than the known senses." Tucker suddenly interrupted. He continued. "In this case would be thought transference." He looked up from his device and spoke again, "I would say there's fairly good chance of Danny having used something like that when in trouble. I mean other ghosts use things similar to psychic power, like Technus and uh… _him_. You know? Maybe you can use it with Sam since you two always seem to know what the other is going to say. I wonder if I'm included with that… I mean I suppose so long as Danny knows the other person enough… and vice versa the connection should work." He crawled across the floor on his hands and knees and ended up in front of Danny. "Here, let's try it now. Speak to me."

Danny gulped slightly and then closed his eyes.

_Tucker? You there?_

_Danny? Is that you?_

_Sam?_

_Whoa, dudes… this is weird._

_So we're all welcome? I think we need to help Danny figure out how to be more specific._ Sam replied to both Danny and Tucker.

_Gu- -ello? -Ou -ere?_

_I think Valerie's trying to answer, but…_

_We're still getting used to each other._ Tucker replied.

Danny then halted the connection.

"Did you guys hear me?" Valerie asked.

Tucker smiled at her. "Kinda, it was a little broken. So we need to work on connecting with you and having Danny make messages sent to only one person at a time instead of everyone around him that knows him well enough."

"When I was in Vlad's lab. I focused on Sam because she was easiest to see on his cameras… Maybe I just need to focus harder." Danny offered.

"Could be," Sam replied and placed a hand on Danny's.

"This could mean you could even develop this power further, like who knows how else your psychic inclination will progress? Maybe you could even start to control things with you mind or-"

"Tucker, Danny's technically a superhero, but I think you're diving into powers more suited for comic books," Valerie spoke.

"Hey! You don't know what could happen," Tucker argued slightly if only to defend his idea.

Everyone pretty much shrugged at that and grew quiet.

Well I think I'm going to hit the hay," Valerie spoke up and stood after a moment.

"Yeah sounds good to me, let's go dude," Tucker added.

Danny and Sam nodded and got up as well. The four friends split up and went to their two rooms for the night.

One thought on Danny's mind though as he walked behind Tucker to enter his room, was the idea that he was developing some familiar powers… and it scared him. Who else did he know that could use fire and some form of psychic power?

_I'm still here. I still exist. That means you still turn into me._

Everything inside him from his promise to his friends and family, to the logics of the Time stream with Dan being technically outside of it as Clockwork had said, told him to ignore that haunting quote and yet he knew he couldn't.

zzz

**A week later. Before School.**

Danny and Sam were walking towards Casper High together, hand in hand. Tucker had opted to wait for Valerie since she'd woken up a bit late. So it was only the young couple early that morning. Sam was wearing the necklace Danny had made for her. Since a week prior, when Danny's parents had learned of his secret, they were learning more and more about their son's world and for a change, Danny was happy to teach them everything he'd learned about ghosts and the Zone. They'd even helped once or twice with a ghost so far and when Jessica, the Ghost Boy's reporter, had asked them about it, they'd explained that they were starting to see that the Ghost Boy was defending the city at the time being but they would be ready should be fall out of line. Jack had winked at his son later when the family had seen that part of the news on TV.

Sam moved closer to Danny after shifting her black coat. It was getting even colder now that November was getting closer to being over. She smiled up at her boyfriend and he gave her a broad smile in return. She could see the relaxation in his eyes now. Even just having his parents know about everything was a giant weight off his shoulders. She glanced at her necklace.

"This is really beautiful, Danny. Have you ever thought about making sculptures, you know with your ecto-ice?"

Danny cocked his head to the side in thought. "I don't know. I suppose. Hey! Maybe it would be a good way to practice making weapons. If I can make detailed forms like a sculpture then I can make weapons, right?"

Sam nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

The two continued their walk to school. The day went on without much incident until Lunch when Technus raided the computer lab.

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie were sitting in their spot in the cafeteria, when everyone eating heard a scream from somewhere in the building. Danny sighed and got up. "I bet it's Technus."

Sure enough next they heard, "It is I Technus, Master of all-"

Danny chuckled and darted out of the cafeteria. Valerie, Tucker, and Sam got up afterwards and left as well. When they got to the computer lab, a bunch of students were already watching behind doors and corners as Danny fought with Technus. The students grimaced when he was slung into a large desk by the electrical cords Technus had commandeered. Danny got up and smiled.

"Well I've got to say, you're doing a much better with avoiding the long-winded speech. You didn't announce your plan in excruciating detail this time."

Technus paused and his eyebrows shot up. He smiled back excitedly. "Really!?"

Phantom chuckled. "Now if you can just avoid introducing yourself, you'll be golden."

Technus grinned in what many would consider a malicious way. "I am adapting! My mainframe is becoming even more complex!"

Phantom smirked. "You're doing it again…"

Technus sucked in his bottom lip and aimed a hand at Phantom, firing electricity from the computer behind him, towards the teen hero. Phantom threw up a shield that was concave in shape. The electricity was redirected back at the ghost and he yelped as he was electrocuted. Phantom pulled out his thermos and sucked Technus up while the specter was distracted.

The students cheered and Phantom was about to fly off when a voice rose above the others.

"Invisobil! Invisobil!"

Danny sighed and looked over his shoulder to see Paulina pushing through the crowd and even knocking over Mikey in the process. Star held back a bit and was watching with a tiny frown.

Danny floated down close to ground. "What is it, Pauli-" He was halted dead in his tracks when the hispanic girl leapt up slightly, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down a bit from his hovering, and slammed her lips onto his. A cacophony of cat calls and wolf whistles rose from the crowd, just as Danny turned invisible and intangible. He reappeared to the left of the girl with a frown on his face.

"Please don't do that."

Everyone paused and Paulina's mouth fell open. "What do you mean?"

"I mean don't do that, please. Did you ever consider that I had someone when I was alive? Whenever I find peace, I want to see her again." Danny had to make it sound like he was Phantom after all, not still living.

Paulina looked confused. "You mean, there's someone else? All this time?"

Danny nodded his head solemnly. "Sorry Paulina, but no. Someone else warms my ghost core. Someone I've waited a long time for. Sometimes you need to think about other people's feelings before making assumptions. Paulina, you'll never find satisfaction or lasting happiness this way. Try to make friendships that matter and last."

Her eyes widened slightly at the familiar words, though no connection other than Fenton had been right about what Phantom would feel, registered in her thoughts.

Danny turned and pulled Mikey up from the ground between two jocks who hadn't bothered to move away for the boy to raise himself from the ground in the crowd. The teen gaped since the town hero was aiding him.

"You alright? You kinda took a hard fall there."

"Ye-yeah, just fuh-fine." Mikey glanced down and saw a tear in Phantom's suit that was stained a bit green. "Are you okay, ?"

Danny glanced down at the tear and looked back up with a smile. "I'll be fine in a little bit. I heal fast." He let go and floated a bit higher. "Stay in school everyone and remember to not crowd a ghost. These fights aren't always so basic." Danny then waved at everyone and flew through the ceiling.

The rest of the day passed calmly after Sam had her chance to gripe about Paulina's kiss she gave 'Phantom'. She was hopeful that Paulina would get it through her thick head that Fenton and Phantom were both off limits, even if she didn't know they were one and the same.

Around seven thirty, Team Phantom plus the Fentons patrolled Amity for ghosts and only found the Box Ghost messing around in a abandoned cardboard box factory. Seeing as he wasn't doing any harm, they left him alone and went to their respective homes for some good sleep.

**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**

**Well how'd you think about my reveal to his parents?**

**I wanted it to be a bit more tension filled than their talk with him at the end of Reality Trip, for two reasons. First because I think they'd question what they were seeing a bit more than they did then, though in Reality Trip they did have a few days(I'd guess) to think about Fenton being Phantom, with Jazz in Freakshow's cage with them. Second, there needed to be something to kinda justify Danny's fear a bit more. After all, like he said earlier in the story, all it could take is for his parents to find out in the wrong way.**

**zzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**Great: PS Im not sure if you are uncomfortable with this question, since it has nothing to do with the story, but could you tell me what country are you from? I understand if its uncomfortable or you cant answer.**

**NoSignal: I'd rather not say. Thanks for understanding though :)**

**zzzz**

**Thanks for all your support everyone! Your reviews were wonderful.**

**~NoSignal**


	9. TheEidolon

**Let's get to it already!**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"Hide not your talents, they for use were made, What's a sundial in the shade?" ~ Benjamin Franklin_

zzz

**A few days later. Saturday.**

The day found Danny and Sam, walking side by side heading towards the Mall. Tucker and Valerie had been busy with other things, but it hadn't mattered too much since the couple had a specific goal in mind or at least one of them did.

"I don't know about this Sam…" Danny nervously and shoved his hands into his green sweatshirt's single large front pocket, with a tiny scowl on his face.

"What? Your house is going to get overpacked with these things if you keep it up at this rate. They're too beautiful to just get rid of. Plus, what's the harm in a bit of extra cash? It's good for a college fund later," Sam argued back, shifting the paper sack she had hanging over one arm. She had on her black coat again and some black jeans due to the cool weather.

"Beautiful? I don't know about that," Danny mumbled with embarrassment before taking a quick glance at the mysterious bag.

"Danny, they're artisan quality, trust me on this. After seeing all the things my mother's bought, I know. Have you decided on a pen name?"

Danny gulped. "Why do I need a pen name again?"

"It's common for people to do that. It's especially helpful since people may wonder how you made them and that could get iffy real fast. If they don't know who you are, they won't be able to pester you. I'll deliver them and people won't have any clue who it could be since my parents do have tons of connections."

"Uh right… How about… TheEidolon? I think that's another name for a ghost."

"Huh, I like it. TheEidolon it is."

The couple found the Art Gallery that was near the back of the Mall. Danny hung behind and wandered off towards the Arcade to busy himself while Sam dealt with everything.

zzz

Sam walked carefully, with the sculptures Danny had created in her bag tickling softly. She finally found someone to talk to about selling them to the gallery.

"Oh so you wanted to sell your sculptures?" A young woman spoke as she led Sam off the gallery floor and towards a back room where the artist in charge, worked.

"Oh they aren't mine. They were made by a friend and he wants to keep his identity a secret."

"Ohhhh I see. Well maybe Mr. Fundoo will approve." She pushed up a curtain to the very back, only for a can of brushes to be thrown at them. Sam ducked instinctually from all the ghost fights she'd been in, but the young woman wasn't as lucky and got paint water splashed on her.

"Bah! You two interrupted me at the most inopportune time! I was _this_ close," he pinched his fingers together to emphasis his point, "_This_ close to finding inspiration for my latest work!"

Mr. Fundoo, as he was called, was a lanky man with grey hair under a beret, a green polo, and short khakis. He sighed after pinching the bridge of his nose and motioned Sam over. "Come, come. What is it you wanted, girl?"

Sam bit back a snide remark and evened her tone. "I have some sculptures that my friend made. He wanted to see how much he could get for them. I was thinking a seventy thirty split would be fair, due to their quality."

Mr. Fundoo scoffed. "Seventy thirty she says. How about forty sixty? I'm sure they're lovely…" He drawled in a sarcastic manner.

Sam growled and pulled one of the sculptures out and slammed in on the table, being made of ecto-ice, they weren't brittle like crystal or glass and didn't melt like normal ice.

Mr. Fundoo and the young woman, froze. The particular one that Sam had put on the table was a sculpture of Wulf. His person was done in smooth and perfect detail, down to the tiny toothpick sized claws coming from his paws. He had a large toothy smile on his face that made him look much more friendly than what many would see the ghostly beast as. Sam then much less aggressively placed the rest of her cargo on the table. There was one of two Ectopusses, one blue and one green, swirling around each other, their colors dictated not by color but by how clear the ice was which comprised them, one was of Skulker, another of Ember, the Dairy King Ghost, the Box Ghost, Dora, and Youngblood in a Cowboy outfit.

"No they aren't made out of ice, crystal, glass, or any precious gem. I will not disclose what they are made of, though it is not any kind of dangerous substance. I witnessed my friend work on one of these and it is a decently long process. Now about that seventy thirty deal…"

Mr. Fundoo rubbed his chin thoughtfully, though it was obvious that he liked what he saw. Everyone in Amity or anyone who came to Amity had some kind of interest in ghosts and working with that market was a good business move. Pieces like this, especially of some of the ghosts that came to this town would be great.

"I'm assuming your mystery friend wants to put himself out in the form of a pename?"

"Yes, TheEidolon."

Mr. Fundoo smiled. "I like the creativity of your friend's mind. TheEidolon it is. I accept your offer. Where would you like the money to be sent?"

Sam pulled a card out from her clutch she'd brought with her and slid it across the table. "To the account attached to this debit card. It should be under the name of Sam Manson."

Mr. Fundoo turned and nodded to the young woman who took the card and walked off to settle the financial matters.

Mr. Fundoo grabbed her attention. "So about pricing-"

Sam nodded. "It is an interesting situation. I'm thinking due to what it's made out of, we can consider it not any more expensive than paper. So the price would mostly be labor. The Ectopuses are the simplest and they took about two and a half hours to complete. I'd say a hundred dollars for it as a standard price. If people are wanting to get more than one he can practically make identical pieces and even commissions if they want it to look a certain way."

"A hundred hm? at a seventy thirty? I suppose. And the others?"

"Well here's what I think-" Sam began.

zzz

"Wait, I'll get seventy dollars for the Ectopus one?"

"Yep."

"And the Wulf one?"

"Around three hundred fifty is your share."

"Wow. That's amazing."

"There's only one thing."

"What?"

Sam grimaced at his question as Danny finished his game at the arcade machine. He frowned when the Game Over screen flashed in his face. He turned away and started walking with Sam.

"Mr. Fundoo wants to commission you to make a Danny Phantom figurine for him. He'll pay full price for a Danny Phantom. He wants to display it with the others that are for sale as a draw."

"Wow, that's awkward, but I guess I'll do it."

"I'll deliver it when it's done and periodically funnel the profit into your account."

"It's sounds like we're part of some kind of fonzy scheme."

"Danny, it's ponzi scheme."

"Oh, oops." Danny smiled sheepishly, making Sam smile back at him.

The couple continued walking and left the front of the mall, when a breath of blue air came from Danny's mouth.

"Whelp, that figurine will have to wait."

As soon as he'd said that and before Sam could reply, a watch he was wearing buzzed. It was a communicator that his mother had created for everyone in Team Phantom. She'd given Jack and Danny theirs for Thanksgiving to make up for the Turkey having attacked the family mid-meal. The day after, Danny had delivered the same devices to Sam, Tucker, and Valerie. He clicked a button and his mother's voice came through.

"Dear, just in case you didn't know, there's a ghost… Johnny 30?"

"No mom, Johnny 13. Dang, not again, Johnny. I'll be there in a flash mom, don't shoot yet."

Danny laughed a bit when he heard his dad whine at being denied the chance to fire. He rolled his eyes at Sam. "Johnny probably made Kitty mad again and is looking for me. He likes making things difficult for me when Kitty's mad."

"At least drop me at home and see you tomorrow? Tucker and Valerie wanted to have a movie night at my house."

"It's a promise."

Danny smirked and jumped into an alleyway before transforming. He picked Sam up bridal style and turned them both invisible before flying off. After placing her at her doorstep, he assured her that Johnny didn't require her, Tuck's, Valerie's, or technically even his parent's help. He then said goodbye and flew off.

He gained a bit of notice when flying over the city now visibly and waved a couple times at the younger children who shouted his name. In no time, he was at the park.

"I don't know who you oldies think you are, but you ain't going to stop me."

Danny came from the trees to see his parents aiming at Johnny, who was on his bike.

"You stay right there until Phantom comes, you understand?" Maddie declared.

"What's with you two being buddy buddy with Phantom all of a sudden?" Johnny grumbled and happened to look over and spot Danny. "Speak of the devil."

"Johnny, did ya make Kitty mad again?"

"Shove it!"

"Johnny… What happened this time?"

"I'm not saying!"

"Fine then I'm going to go ask Kitty her side of the story." Danny then started to float away when Johnny bit his lip.

"Wait! Don't go to Kitty, she won't tell the story right."

Danny smirked and turned back around before flying over closer to Johnny as Maddie and Jack started to lower their weapons. Both parents watched quietly and with intrigue as their son interacted with the ghost.

"So what happened?"

Johnny sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It was stupid. She asked me if she looked good in the outfit she was trying out and I was busy watching the TV and I said she looked the same no matter what she wore. She got angry and started yelling at me. It snowballed from there and here I am blowing off steam."

"Uh well, definitely not the best thing to say to your girlfriend." Danny chuckled.

"I don't follow."

"Honey-" Both Johnny and Danny looked over to see Maddie approaching. "You never tell a lady that she looks the same no matter what she wears. Especially if she was trying to surprise you and make you happy. She wants to look good for you."

Johnny gulped and scratched his scalp. "Uh, didn't think of it that way."

"Go tell her your sorry and that you were distracted. Tell her she looks beautiful and mean it," Danny instructed.

Johnny nodded and looked away dreamily. "She is beautiful. She's been beautiful since the day we both bit the dust and even before."

"Tell her that!" Danny exclaimed.

Johnny grumbled and punched Danny in the shoulder playfully. "Shut up, jerk. Since when did you become a romance professional, clueless?"

Danny flushed in embarrassment before he smirked. "Get your ghostly butt in gear."

"Fine fine." Johnny kicked the kickstand out from under his bike and acted as though he was going to motor off. He paused and looked back at Danny and Maddie and Jack. "Oh and congrats on getting your old man and lady to not rip you apart… what was it? molecule by molecule? I didn't ace Chemistry as you might have guessed."

Danny laughed nervously. "Uh yeah, that's a plus, how'd you-"

"Kid, no body switches sides unless new info is provided. I'm guessing Plasmius goofed up? He's prideful to a fault."

"Yep."

"Righteous, serves that jerk right. Always rilling things up."

"Later Johnny, try to stay out of trouble."

"Tch, right like that's going to happen." Johnny smirked and then revved his bike and took off back towards Fenton Works and the portal.

"So is he a good ghost or a bad ghost?" Jack asked and scratched his head.

Danny smiled and turned to face his parents. "Well… he's… a work in progress?"

Maddie smiled. "I see. I understand Danny."

Danny smiled and looked around. Seeing no one, he transformed back into Fenton.

"I'm still trying to memorize all those files you have on ghosts, Danno."

Maddie nodded and frowned slightly as Danny and his father started walking to the Fenton RV to get back home. She'd seen the number of files he had and knew they'd received two less than the total number of folders in his list. She wondered why he hadn't given them those two as well to her and Jack but hoped Danny would eventually be comfortable enough to share without prompting. After all, what greater secret could he be hiding than his and Vlad's other halves?

"Hey Mads! Did ya hear that? Danny's sculptures are at the Art Gallery!"

Maddie snapped up from her thoughts and smiled when she registered what her husband had said. She looked at Danny and beamed. "Oh Danny! That's wonderful! I knew my babies were special!"

"Mom!"

"What? It's true!"

The Fenton family headed home and chatted happily about various things as they went.

zzz

**Casper High two days later.**

"You guys do remember what's coming up soon, right?"

"Yes Tucker, your birthday. The seventh of December." Danny replied in slight irritation, since Tucker had reminded them multiple times that morning. Sam was about to add something to Danny's response when Valerie spoke.

"Uh, guys?" Valerie asked and brought Tucker, Sam, and Danny from their talk.

"Oh uh, whoa." Danny gulped.

The four friends stood in the center of the hallway as people were walking everywhere with t-shirts on that were similar. They were black tees with a blue ghostly flame underlining a word, or name more precisely, that said, "TheEidolon." They overheard Paulina talking to Dash.

"My Papa purchased one of every piece he's made so far."

"Ah man, I've only got a Walker cause he looks like a outlaw." Dash grinned. "Do you stare at the Danny Phantom one?"

Paulina growled. "Shut up Dash. Phantom won't be hearing from me any time soon. He'll find out how lonely it can be without me and come crawling, you'll see."

Sam deadpanned and Danny face-palmed.

"Well your budding business is going well," Tucker whistled softly. "I wonder who started selling the tees?"

"Who knows, could be any graphic artist in the area that's a fan." Valerie shrugged.

"Come on, now I have two personas I have to keep under wraps?" Danny groaned.

"Hey Fentonia!"

"Darn it."

Dash marched over and glared at Danny. Danny wasn't as tall as Dash but he no longer had to look up to see eye to eye though.

"What is it, Dash?"

"What piece of TheEidolon's do you own?"

Danny frowned and then shrugged. "My parents let me get a Phantom one since they're thinking he's the only ghost that acts good. They're still suspicious, but they weren't mad about it."

"How the heck did you get a Phantom? TheEidolon only does them through commission."

"Uh, I had a commission done through Mr. Fundoo? Duh. My parents are pretty successful inventors, we choose to live in Fenton Works instead of anywhere else. I can afford a gift like that for myself."

Dash growled. "You watch your back, Fenton. I've still got revenge in the works and no nerd's going to get in the way this time."

"I wasn't expecting anything else from you Dash," Danny grunted and folded his arms. Sam grabbed his arm and started to pull him away.

"Go play with a nasty pigskin, Dash." Sam growled out. "Let's get to class, Danny." Danny nodded and the four friends turned to walk off.

As they neared English class, Brandon ran up to Danny from a group of nerds he'd been talking to.

"Hey, Danny!"

Danny smiled and turned to look at him. "What's up, Brandon?"

Paulina and Dash had finished getting their own things from their locker and noticed that Brandon's little group had merged into Danny's and were walking towards English.

"Who does that twerp think he is?" Paulina hissed.

"Thinks he's some big hot shot because he got lucky a couple times," Dash grumbled.

Back with Danny and the others, Brandon had finished explaining that the Danny Phantom game had received a DLC recently that granted Phantom his new fire powers.

"Huh, at least they're on top of it," Tucker replied.

The group walked into class and settled in their seats. Lancer started class not too long after and placed a sculpture of Dora and Aragon facing each other in both human and dragon forms. It was one of the more complicated pieces Danny had done and most likely the school had purchased it as a teaching aid of some kind since Lancer had it on his desk as if he was going to talk about it.

"Students, today we're going to work on our poetry. You may use any kind of poetry type and I want you to write about anything that this piece of TheEidolon's evokes in you. It's a piece that depicts the ghosts Dora and Aragon. All we know about them is that they have the ability to turn into dragons and are often at odds."

Soon, the room was filled with quiet, as pencils scratched out the poems. Eventually everyone stopped writing after they'd finished what they wanted to write. Mr. Lancer skimmed through them all until a certain one caught his eye.

"The darkness is here. The fight of progress rages. The darkness is gone." Mr. Lancer looked up and eyed Sam, "Mrs. Manson, this is your Haiku correct?"

"Uh, yes sir."

"Would you care to explain it more?"

"Oh uh," Sam's eyes flicked over at Danny before she continued. "Dora and Aragon are constantly fighting over whether their kingdom should remain in the dark ages or not. Dora is for change and progress and Aragon is for keeping things in a stand still. That's what the Haiku represents."

"How do you know all of that, goth geek?" Dash blurted from behind.

Sam glared at him over her shoulder. "Truth is, I was the one Aragon stole away for a bride. Phantom took me home."

Paulina frowned but then smirked happily. "That makes sense, only a dragon or an idiot could take you as a bride." She gave a pointed look to Danny who glared back with a dangerous look in his eyes. He turned away abruptly and grabbed Sam's hand to keep her from leaping at the A-lister.

Lancer coughed into his hand. "Regardless, now with this understanding, it's a lovely Haiku Mrs. Manson."

"Thank you Mr. Lancer."

The class went on normally with Lancer reading a few more from the batch of poems.

zzz

The couple had separated from Tucker and Valerie after school, when the techie and huntress had decided they wanted to go to the Mall together. Danny had asked why even though the two had been blushing and Sam had elbowed him to silence the still clueless Danny. She could tell the two were trying to bond more before they took the step of officially becoming boyfriend and girlfriend.

So the two had stopped by the Art Gallery, which was over run with people trying to get more sculptures of TheEidolon's. It didn't help that Christmas was on everyone's minds. Sam said she was going to see what Mr. Fundoo might need from Danny and ran into the back door. Danny waited around nearby. Eventually Sam came back through the door and sighed.

"He needs like three Phantoms, two Skulker, a Technus, and a Ember."

"Huh, I'm going to be busy."

"At least all of them are Christmas gifts from parents to their kids."

"Yeah."

"I know Christmas isn't your favorite."

"Nah, nah. I'm better about it now, but I need to see what I can do for Tucker's present."

"Oh yeah. I need to be thinking about that too."

A bit of silence fell over the pair as they neared Sam's home.

"Danny?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Do you… do you think I'd be a good bride?"

Danny paused and looked over at her with a bit of irritation. "Don't listen to Paulina. She's just mad that I didn't-" Danny swallowed. "Well you know. Anyways, what she's saying is stupid."

"I know. I just need to hear your opinion on it."

Danny nodded and let a smile come to his face. "I mean, I said it before didn't I?" You're smart, you're fun, you're cool, and you're… beautiful." Danny's cheeks heated up right after he'd spoke. "So yeah, don't listen to Paulina. She's just-" He stopped speaking when Sam kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Danny and for the record, you're right, Paulina's just jealous. You're not an idiot. You can be clueless sometimes and dorky, but you are not an idiot." Sam hooked her arm through Danny's and smiled up at him. He smiled right back.

Danny dropped Sam off at her home before walking to his own. As soon as he shut the door to his house, his mother's voice called out.

"Is that you, Danny?"

"Yeah mom."

Danny smiled and walked into the den and tossed his bag on the floor and stretched out on the couch. His mother came in from the kitchen.

"Have some more sculptures you need to make for Mr. Fundoo?"

"Yeah. I'm glad there haven't been many ghosts recently. You and dad have been a great help with some of them. Then again a good deal of them kinda became afraid of me and don't like to pop up unless they've really got a good plan or think they have a good plan."

"Well sweetie, I'm just so happy we can finally help you." She walked over and sat beside him. "Can I watch you work on one?"

Danny looked over at his mom and smiled. "Yeah sure." He sat up next to her and held out his hands. A ball of ice formed there once he'd activated his cold core. He then started moving his hands slowly, molding the ice into the shapes he needed. After several minutes, he had a basic shape of himself in Phantom form. His ghost tail was curled around a base and his arms were at his sides as he was smiling up at what would be the sky if there was one. The face wasn't complete and neither was the details of his hazmat suit.

"It's lovely Danny, even without being complete."

"Thanks mom," Danny replied and continued shaping it slower than before since details took more focus.

"Jazz will be coming home for the holidays next week."

"That's good."

"You've been missing her?" Maddie smiled.

Danny smirked. "A little and she'll freak when she finds out you both know everything now."

The family had decided in the beginning to wait for Jazz to come home to tell her. Not only had the other Fenton been too busy with her independent studies that she'd been unable to attend Thanksgiving with the family, but they also didn't want to risk any emails or letters being read legally or illegally by someone else with that kind of info in it.

"How long has she known again?"

"Since the first time Spectra showed up." Maddie noticed a little frown come to her son's face at the mention of the ghost.

"You always seem to get somber when you talk about Spectra."

"She's brutally… uh honest? She likes preying on every person's insecurities."

"Oh." Maddie sat quietly with her son again, who'd put another calm smile on his face as he worked with the sculpture. He'd been able to make weapons of ecto-ice now and was getting better at forming the weapons quicker and quicker. Working on the sculptures had certainly helped. Maddie took a breath and spoke, taking a chance. "Danny?"

"Yeah mom?"

"What is in those two other files you haven't given me and your father?"

Danny froze in the middle of working on his sculpture. He placed the piece on the table and sighed. "I… Let me tell you and dad together okay? They're both really important, so listen to me carefully when I talk then, okay?"

"Of course, sweetie." Maddie nodded sympathetically and got up. "You want a snack?"

"So long as it doesn't bite back."

zzz

"So I guess the first thing I should tell you about is Danielle. You remember Vlad's idea that he wanted me to renounce dad and become his son instead?"

Jack grumbled something under his breath and Maddie rested a hand on the large man's arm.

"Yes we do Danny," Maddie replied.

Danny sighed. "Well Vlad… He tried to clone me."

…

"HE DID WHAT!?"

Danny grimaced and nodded. "Yeah. He'd decided that if I wouldn't listen to his fruit-loopiness, then a clone of me would and the clone would replace me. Thing is, there was only one that stayed together."

"What do you mean stayed together, Danno?"

"I mean literarily not melt into ectoplasm. He needed me one last time for mid-morph DNA. He was trying to force me to transform into Phantom and I was fighting it the whole way. Long story short Danielle, a girl clone of me, saw him as her father figure and thought he was trying to save her, but he wasn't. He was using her to make the perfect _son_. She wasn't mindless like the others though and I didn't want to hurt her. Eventually I convinced her of Vlad's true intentions and she's become her own person. She likes being called Dani with an I. She's stubborn and street smart, but I still worry about her since she's technically only a few years old. She's like fifteen in appearance now though."

"So we technically have another daughter," Maddie whispered.

Danny nodded. "Yeah, she's the only thing that Vlad ever did right in my opinion."

Jack grunted and stood. "Well we need to find her! Us Fentons stay together!"

Danny stood and waved his hands. "Wait dad, I don't even know where she is and I don't even know if she wants a family or not. She seems keen on doing her own thing… no matter how much I worry about her."

Maddie smiled at her son who'd glanced at the floor after speaking. "You almost act fatherly towards her, Danny."

Danny looked up with slight surprise. "I uh, huh, wha?"

Maddie laughed and walked over closer to sit by and hug her son. "How about we ask her what she wants when we see her again? Maybe she was simply worrying about revealing your secret. It was her way of repaying you for helping her so often."

Danny nodded as Jack sat back down.

"And that last file?" Maddie asked. She frowned when she saw her son's face darken considerably.

"Danny-boy? What's wrong?" Jack asked.

"I'm… I'm not sure I'm ready to talk about that one. He's… I just don't know how to explain it. Above all, compared to you finding out about me being half-ghost… this is…"

Maddie hugged her son from the side. "Don't worry Danny. We get it now, we understand. Give us a chance Danny."

Danny looked into both of his parents eyes who were smiling at him calmly. He took a deep breath and started his explanation.

"We decided to call him Dan. That's why I asked dad to stop using that nickname on me… Do you remember Clockwork?"

An hour or so later brought Danny close to the end of his story. "So Clockwork stopped time and kept Dan from cheating for me. I got to make the choice to NOT cheat and everything was okay again." Danny lied solemnly. In truth, he hadn't told anyone the real story yet, not even Sam and Tucker. He'd told them and Jazz a different story. He'd explained to Jazz who Dan was and a general story of how he'd come to be, namely that he'd cheated and then lost his friends and family and somehow become evil. Afterwards, he'd explained to Sam and Tucker that he hadn't been the one to come back to the present and he could remember the look of shock on their faces when they'd realized they'd acted buddy buddy with the monstrous version of their friend in disguise. Finally he'd said Clockwork had intervened and pulled Danny from the future after he'd learned his Wail and stopped Dan from cheating for him. He never told them the gruesome details behind Dan's birth that he'd learned from Future Vlad nor how his human half had been murdered and he never ever told them that they had in all reality… died in a time or reality that occurred after Dan had cheated for him, that he'd been unable to stop Dan's actions in the end. No… Danny wasn't sure he'd ever tell anyone the full story… he wasn't sure he could. Too much shame, fear, and misery bubbled up inside of him from the idea. Perhaps it was the thought that not telling made what had happened less real. It was this highly edited story that he'd supplied to Sam, Tucker, and Jazz that he was now finishing telling to his parents. He didn't even bother to describe to them what _he_ looked like either...

"I will never NEVER become like him. I promise!" Danny spoke up loudly, looking at his parents' faces in slight worry and desperation. It'd been not _too_ long ago since they'd learned of his half-ghost status; he was concerned that any fears that he wasn't in control of himself would resurface in their minds. He could wake up with a Fenton Bazooka pointed at him. He flinched when Jack leaned forward and hugged Danny tightly. Having one of his few moments of seriousness, Jack spoke.

"We all our demons, Danno. Who could have the gall to blame you for having them too?"

Danny's tensed body relaxed and he hugged his father back tightly as well. "Thanks dad, thanks so much."

After father and son separated from their hug, Danny noticed his mother was looking away.

"What's wrong mom?"

Maddie looked back over at her family and frowned. "I guess… I just feel bad for Dan. I know he's the bad guy, but at the same time he was…"

Danny glanced at the floor. "He has no remorse mom. At least he showed none for anyone while I was around. The world was barren, only Amity stood. It only stood because he saw it as his play thing."

After a moment of silence, the Jack looked up and saw the lingering distress in his son's eyes.

"Hey Danny-boy, how about we go down into the lab and do a check up on some things? I have a couple of inventions I need to fine tune and we would like to see you work with your powers again."

Danny glanced up and a calmer smile graced his face. "Yeah, okay."

zzz

The three walked down into the lab as Jack ran over to a table.

"So uh, should I be on guard?" Danny asked glancing at the odd machine in his father's hands.

"Jack, I don't know if that invention is safe to test on Danny."

Jack looked up and then back down at the machine. "Huh, yeah I didn't think of that. How about I re-test the Ghost Gabber?" Jack smiled and went to put the machine back on the table when he fumbled it and it dropped to the ground. "Ther-oh oops!"

-Clang- ... -Click-

Danny suddenly whimpered and gripped his head and then cried out slightly. "Ah! Rrrr, what... is that!?"

Jack grabbed it up from the floor and tried to find an off switch in a panic.

"It's sort of like a dog whistle for ghosts, but more powerful... You can hear it?" Maddie asked.

Danny whimpered again slightly before painfully nodding his head. Finally Jack found the switch and turned it off. Danny sighed in relief.

"Sorry, son. I guess it works though, huh?" Jack grinned sheepishly.

Danny nodded and picked at his ears.

"You alright, sweetie?" Maddie asked and hugged Danny from the side.

Danny flushed in slight embarrassment. "I'm fine, mom."

"I'm fine mom, fear me."

Danny deadpanned and glanced at his father.

"It's working!"

"Dad, ghosts don't even talk like that. Many ghosts speak English or other world languages, there are a few that speak Latin and Esperanto though. You could try to make a translator for those. The gabber sounds more like a Box Ghost translator." Danny couldn't help but snicker at the end at the thought.

"Latin?" Maddie asked.

"I think every ghost knows Latin. I suppose it's the language of the dead. I can speak it too, but I only found that out recently."

"Really?" Maddie asked and then tapped her mouth in thought. "So ghosts know Latin and their native language, depending on where they're from."

"Yeah pretty much." Danny nodded.

Maddie smiled and relaxed. "We really were off in some of our theories."

"Some, not all. There are some ghosts that are more emotion than person. Every ghost has humanity though, it just manifests in different ways."

Maddie seemed intrigued by her son's knowledge. "So can ghosts, full ghosts, feel pain?"

"Ghosts feel pain not from chemicals in body or biotic nervous system but from their core. The core gives out electric impulses that help keep a ghost together, if something damages the core or knocks it for a loop, then those impulses are disrupted some and cause a feeling of emptiness which is somewhat equal to human pain. Half of it is simply the fear it causes. Most ghosts fear disappearing, especially those with lots of unfinished business to do." Danny scratched his cheek and looked away as he talked. Maddie and Jack were staring at him in slight wonder.

"And well anything else you can think of?"

Danny smirked and let out a sigh of relief. "I learned from Clockwork several months ago that ghosts can't have children and don't have the desire to uh... 'make children'. They adopt many ghosts that died as children as they're own. Just because they can't have actually blood-related children doesn't mean they don't care for them like they could. Ghosts are already possessive and trying to build a 'family' so to speak is just something that makes their time in the Zone better, until they find peace or are sent to Judgement."

"How interesting. I suppose humans enjoy having others around to sympathize with during times of suffering, be it as simple as a bad grade on a test or something more dire." Maddie nodded.

"You're so smart, Danno! You and your pals have really learned a lot. And me and Maddie thought we were the ghost experts."

Danny smiled and looked up at his parents. "Takes one to know one."

"How did the conversation of ghosts having children come up between you and Clockwork?" Maddie asked with slight suspicion.

Danny blushed and waved his hands. "Not for me! I still have um... everything in tact."

"Of course! You're a Fenton!"

Danny facepalmed at his dad's remark. He looked over at his mom and smiled. "I was just wondering about someone named Box Lunch."

"She's not in your files."

Danny smiled but then kinda frowned at the thought. "Not yet, but one day she might be."

Maddie seemed to understand he sadness. "She was from the future, right?"

"Yeah and she's adopted by the Box Ghost and the Lunch Lady in the future."

"She'll have to die first."

"Yeah..."

"Hmm... Well let's check out some of your powers. It's been long enough for another check for everything." Maddie smiled and walked over to pull some papers out from a folder on the wall.

Jack looked over at his son who seemed like he was ready to transform and start his practice session. "Hey Danny-boy?"

"Yeah Dad?"

"Is there anything that ghosts really don't like?"

Danny thought for a second, before he looked up at his mother who was motioning to them that everything was ready. Danny nodded and transformed into Phantom. He glanced at his dad as he floated a few inches off the ground. "Never ask a ghost how they died and don't ask them what they're real name was. They make up their new names for a reason."

Jack nodded as Danny flew forward and started flying through the rings and obstacles in his way.

zzz

**A few days later. Seventh of December. School.**

"Guess what today is!" Tucker grinned broadly as Danny, Sam, and Valerie walked beside him.

"Meatless Monday?" Sam asked with a sly smirk on her face. Valerie laughed into her hand when Tucker glared at Sam.

"No. Definitely No." Tucker looked over at Danny with pleading eyes while Sam looked at her boyfriend as if pleading with him to continue the charade.

"Uh," He looked At Tucker again and couldn't disappoint his buddy with the face he was making. "Your birthday?"

"Yeeeessss~" Tucker replied.

Sam rolled her eyes at her friend, Valerie laughed a bit and Danny chuckled and shook his head.

"Remember, we're meeting at-" Tucker spoke up.

"The Nasty Burger." His three friends replied.

"At-"

"Six o' clock. We know!"

Tucker grumbled. "Geez just making sure."

It was early in the morning and so they had about twenty minutes until class actually started for the day. They paused when they noticed a bunch of kids gathered around Dash's locker, watching something.

With only a glance at Tucker, the techno-geek nodded and started typing away at his PDA, until the same video popped up on the devices' screen. The four friends squished together to see the screen. Tucker blushed slightly when Valerie's cheek touched his.

It was Lance Thunder on a news report.

_And in other news, a new fad has gripped Amity Park and it's citizens, yet another mystery for the town to solve. An artist by the name of TheEidolon started producing sculptures of Amity's various ghostly visitors good and bad. No one is sure what the pieces are actually made of, but more importantly no one knows who TheEidolon actually is. Is the artist a he? a she? what age? No one knows for sure but everyone knows that if you haven't purchased at least one of his pieces then you've been living under a rock! We will report any new info we can gather on this mysterious artist and of course anything new about our ghostly teen hero, Danny Phantom! This is Lancer Thunder, have a great day Amity!_

Tucker turned off the video and three friends glanced at a stuttering Danny.

"They're just little sculptures," Danny muttered and almost finished with a squeak. Sam rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand.

"Danny, you can form sculptures with your mind, hence the Cyrokinesis, they aren't just sculptures. Technically you created them from vapor in the air! It's a wonderful skill and it's good to see people appreciate it even if they aren't fully aware."

"Why do people have to make such a big deal out of it though?" Danny grumbled as the four walked on.

"Because people do that when they think things are cool?" Tucker asked with a raised eyebrow.

Danny shrugged. "Eh, whatever."

"How many of the others have to completed for Mr. Fundoo?" Sam asked.

"I just need to do the Ember one and I'll be done."

The four friends split up for their first period class that day.

zzz

Danny and Sam were again at the Art Gallery after school. Danny had had the time to finish up the Ember piece and so the two were delivering the new pieces to Mr. Fundoo before time to get to Tucker's party came around. Danny was loitering around out back while Sam was inside the back of the Gallery, talking to Fundoo. Danny glanced up when he heard someone coming and locked eyes with Lance Thunder and his crew sneaking around to the back.

"And what are you doing here young man?" Lance Thunder asked and took a couple steps forward.

Danny flicked his gaze back and forth before technically telling the truth.

"Uh, waiting for a friend?"

"Is it TheEidolon? Delivering his newest batch of work?!"

"No, no, of course not! My friend just… really likes art?" Danny lied lamely. Lance Thunder's eyes drooped.

"Uh huh."

Danny started sweating nervously.

"Then you shouldn't mind if we just wait here with you."

"Uh… of course not."

Danny realized they would definitely pester Sam as soon as she came out. For some reason the thought made him angry and gave him a feeling of possessiveness that he wasn't used to. He closed his eyes and leaned back, acting as if he was resting, but he was really trying to mentally connect to Sam. He focused hard on her form, face, voice and spoke.

_Sam? You there?_

_Danny! God, you scared me. Are you using your telepathy?_

_Uh I hope?_

_Why? Something wrong?_

_Lance Thunder and his crew came to the back to try and ambush TheEidolon._

_The irony._

_Yeah yeah I know. Anyways, I told them I'm waiting for a friend so they've got me pinned down._

_What should we do._

_Find another exit and then call my cell. I'll say my friend was actually somewhere else. It was a miscommunication or something._

_Alright, no problem._

_See ya in a minute, Sam._

Danny opened his eyes and started whistling to pass the time, glancing at Lance and his crew every now and then. Finally his cell started to ring. He picked it up, faked a short conversation with Sam and then waved to a befuddled Lance and hurried out of the alleyway behind the Mall. Danny jogged down the street until he spotted Sam in the distance.

"A close one?"

"You don't even know."

"I wonder what people would think if they ever figured out both your secrets."

"I don't wonder," Danny mumbled.

"Here I thought I was supposed to be the downer of the group?"

Danny looked at her after they'd linked hands and sighed. "Sorry Sam, it's just the anxiety that comes with _two_ identities is twice the trouble."

"That's elementary school math, Danny."

"Ha ha aren't you funny."

"Just trying to make you smile. Good work on using your telepathy by the way."

Danny smiled right after and side hugged her. "You always make me smile."

"You are such a dork."

"I'm your dork though."

The two wandered down the road until they could see the Nasty Burger in the distance. They walked inside and saw Tucker, Valerie, Brandon, Mikey, Lester, and Norman already at a couple tables. The two walked over and sat down by their friend. So they started ordering their food and talking, and at some point during the party, the nerds in the group started to theorize about TheEidolon.

"I find it intriguing that the artist chose that name. It could have something to do with what things he makes into sculptures, but it could also be more of a literal reason behind it." Mikey ended with a nasally snort.

"I've tried looking at the structure of one of his pieces through my microscope, but oddly enough it seems to have the same structure as ice. How would it not melt though?" Norman hummed.

"Maybe it could be some kind of spell," Lester spoke and waved his fingers to emphasize his point.

"Now now, let's try to stay in the world of science rather than dungeons and dragons fantasies," Norman grumbled.

"But dragons exist! That Dora and Aragon ghost can turn into them!" Brandon yelped.

Tucker rose a finger. "Actually they just turn into dragons. That doesn't mean dragons have ever actually existed."

Valerie shook her head and rolled her eyes, but had a content smile on her face. Everyone continued talking for quite some time before gifts were given to Tucker. Danny expressed that his gift couldn't be given here and that he'd give his gift later. Sam gave Tucker a PDA that hadn't hit the market yet, Valerie got him a new beret so that when his old one wore out he'd have a spare, the others all gave him video games and data chips for his system at home and his new PDA. As it started to get dark, everyone said goodbye to each other except for Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie. They started walking towards Tucker's home as he buried his face in his new PDA, clicking the buttons the whole way. Normally it would've annoyed his friends for him to be _so_ zoomed in, but it was his birthday. Once the four friends got to the door, Danny spoke up. He coughed on his hand.

"Uh, Tuck?"

-click click click click-

"Tuck?"

-click click click-

Danny rolled his eyes and let his eyelids droop as he placed a hand on Tucker's new PDA and made it turn invisible. Tucker blinked and looked up at Danny.

"Heeey-" Tucker whined.

"Tuck, you do want my present for you, right?"

Tucker chuckled and then grinned. "Oh yeah, gimee gimee!" He held out his hands now that his PDA was visible and held them as if waiting for Danny to drop something into his hands. Danny chuckled and put an arm around Tucker, noogieing him. He pulled something from his pocket with his other hand and put it into Tucker's.

"What is this?" Tucker asked and looked at the odd cartridge.

Danny grinned. "I went and visited Technus. You might wanna scan it with one of your old PDAs before using it. In case he didn't listen and put a virus in it or something, but it's _supposed_ to be a DLC, a custom one.

There was silence before- "No way."

Danny grinned even wider and Sam and Valerie glanced at each other in confusion.

"You didn't."

"I did."

"Dude! I was joking!" Tucker yelled in excitement.

Valerie poked Tucker in the shoulder. "What did he do?"

Tucker grinned. "He put me into the Danny Phantom brawl game! I'm an unlockable character with this DLC!"

Danny smiled. "Technically so is Sam and Valerie. I even was able to fit Jazz, Dani and Mom and Dad."

"Sweet!" Sam exclaimed.

"Whoa you mean I'm in a video game?" Valerie asked.

Danny cocked a brow at Tucker. "Wanna test it out?"

Tucker whooped and ran inside before his friends jogged in afterwards, saying hi to his parents and disappearing into his room.

zzz

Soon the four of them were in Tucker's room. Tucker hurried over to his console to get the game plugged up and ready, while the other three plopped down on the couch that was resting in front of Tucker's TV.

Sam and Valerie rested normally while Danny ended up sitting upside down on the couch.

"Hey Tuck, don't forget to check that cartridge for viruses first. I threatened Technus with melting his lair and all his technology inside, but he still might have put something in there to spite me," Danny spoke up before stretching his muscles now that he was comfortable.

"Oh right, I would hate Technus forever if he did that," Tucker grumbled and moved over to his desk to test the cartridge with one of his older PDAs.

"Hey Sam, can you pass me those chips?" Danny asked.

"They're aren't salt and vinegar, Danny," Tucker huffed as he worked.

"Salt and vinegar, who eats those?" Valerie asked and Danny deadpanned.

"I think they're tasty, but I don't care what flavor they are," Danny replied haughtily.

"Cheddar?" Sam asked.

"Cheddar's good," Danny grinned and started eating them upside down.

"Seems this cartridge has no viruses or abnormal things on it. I guess Technus didn't wanna test you." Tucker smirked and walked back over to add the DLC to his console.

"Or maybe he was thanking you for your villain monologue lessons," Sam joked.

"Villain monologue lessons?" Valerie asked and cocked her brow.

"Technus just has a bad habit of telling me everything he's going to do before he does it. It's kinda sad. I feel sorry for him," Danny replied with slight irritation.

"Your heart is obscenely ginormous Danny," Sam shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Except when he's being a jerk," Tucker quipped.

"Except when he's being a jerk." Sam grinned after mimicking Tucker.

"Hey!" Danny yelped and flipped over to sit upright.

"You know it's true. Besides I don't want a perfect boyfriend. I want you."

Danny smirked. "Ah how sweet. What did you do with the real Sam?"

"Cute," she replied with teasing sarcasm.

"Tada!" Tucker grinned and dashed over to the couch to sit. He almost sat on Valerie's lap on accident and blushed before scooting further down. The trio wasn't quite used to having four people on Tucker's couch yet. He passed everyone a controller and the game started up.

"So a versus game since the main storyline is only one player?" Danny asked.

"Yep oh and dude, you need to get to Vlad. The final cutscene makes you look badass and Vlad gets it good," Tucker replied.

"You couldn't beat your own game before Tucker?" Sam asked and then chuckled.

Danny pouted as everyone started to choose their characters. "I can't get past stupid Vortex."

Valerie gasped. "Wow there I am."

"So predictably we're all going to play as ourselves?" Sam grinned.

"Yep!" Danny responded happily.

"Wow, Technus actually did a good job on this. He even bothered to make us balanced! I was worried Danny's character would over power us, but we've got all kinds of Fenton gear," Tucker mused aloud.

A few minutes later found the four in the midst of a four way brawl. Sam had one elbow cocked at an angle due to the intensity of the fight, Valerie had her tongue suck out the side of her mouth since she wasn't as learned as the others, though she'd picked it up pretty quick, Tucker was the most stable with him staring intently and pushing buttons rapidly, and Danny looked much like Tucker only with his concentration on the game, he'd started to float a bit off the couch and his eyes were glowing green.

"Oh damn it," Valerie cursed after she'd lost her last life. She watched intently as Sam, Tucker, and Danny continued battling it out. She jumped in shock when Sam's character got KO'd.

"Wow. I guess that's what I get for waiting a while to get this game," Sam laughed and watched happily with Valerie as the two boys were still caught in their intense struggle. Sam noticed Danny was floating. "Uh Danny?"

"MMhm?" Danny asked absentmindedly.

"You're floating."

"And?"

"What if Tucker's parents come to check on us?"

"Oh oops, yeah." Danny's rear came back in contact with the couch and the two boys continued clicking buttons. Tucker started to lean forward more and more. Danny started making slightly panicked noises before-

_VICTOR! Tucker, player one wins!_

"Aw man!" Danny grunted.

"Yeah!" Tucker shouted in victory. "Spector Deflector for the win!"

"Now I hate those things in real life AND the virtual world," Danny rolled his eyes teasingly before he cringed. "I just wish they hadn't decided to make my death animation have me turn into a pile of ectoplasm. Kinda a bad visual."

"It seems I'm the DOOM master, Danny's the New Age Tomes master and Tucker's the Danny Phantom and the Ghost Gauntlet master," Sam spoke.

"That's slightly embarrassing. I'm not the master of my own game," Danny grinned sheepishly.

"And video games are fun, kinda, but I'm no pro," Valerie added.

"You're just a noob," Tucker replied, not even paying attention.

Valerie paused and gave Tucker a slightly irritated look.

"And Tucker still doesn't have a built in filter." Sam smirked

Valerie's face changed from irritated to playful before she elbowed Tucker hard enough to make him flop onto the floor and loose his beret.

"Ouch."

"We could always see who's the best at the real thing." Valerie grinned wickedly and Tucker gulped.

"Heh heh, no need."

zzz

Eventually the friends turned off the system after another couple of good brawls. Sam and Danny ended up on Tucker's bed. Danny was on his stomach and Sam was leaning against his side. Tucker and Valerie rested in a couple of bean bags chairs. The four spent the rest of their time talking about random things and some ghost things.

Tucker's mother then came up to Tucker's room and told the teens it was almost midnight, which was all their curfews since they were older. The parents, minus Sam's, would probably be lenient since it was Tucker's birthday though. The four walked down to the front door of Tucker's house and Danny and Sam said goodnight before Danny flew Sam home so she wouldn't get berated by her parents, leaving Valerie and Tucker the only ones left.

"I'll see ya tomorrow, Val."

"Yeah." She took a step closer and kissed his cheek. "That's my bonus birthday gift. I think... I think we can call it official." She then turned and walked away, giving him one more wave over her shoulder. Tucker went inside his house and shut the door quietly. He sunk to the floor and sat.

"Best birthday, ever."

**zzzzzzzzzzz**

**So now we introduce TheEidolon. What do you think? I always loved the idea that Danny had some sort of artistic talent of some kind. I mean the guy can shape ice with his mind. It **_**is**_** good practice for making larger constructs too.**

**And Tucker and Valerie become an official couple!**

**zzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**Zanza Flux: Here's something to think about: Do you think Sam would have been so eager to put Danny through that again when she carelessly made that wish around Deserie? Knowing how painful it was for him the first time and how she almost lost her best friend, I'm surprised she didn't feel a little guilty about that.**

**NoSignal: Yeah, I always kinda wondered about that in the show. I suppose the second time with Desiree, she might not have been thinking clearly. I mean if all of a sudden everyone I knew didn't remember me and there was barely any proof that I'd never met them, then I'd probably what to make things the way they were without thinking things through. She was probably desperate to make things right again and knew that only Danny Phantom could stop Desiree. And of course the first portal accident wasn't on purpose. But yeah, you do bring up a good question. :)**

**Rogue Deity Master: this is a well thought out story, though I do wonder about Valerie's connection to Tucker**

**NoSignal: I'm so glad you like it! I'm wanting to build on Tucker and Valerie's relationship. It was canon that he liked Valerie for a time, but then she started to hunt his friend and then Danny was dating her for a time. I want to look at their relationship in an interesting way. I can imagine, much like this chapter's scene of them playing video games, that Tucker, since Danny and Sam are a couple, will help her learn _more_ about what it means to have true friends and perhaps Tucker will find his own brand of courage for her sake. Valerie will always probably wear the pants in the relationship though ;)**

**zzzz**

**Enjoy! **

**~NoSignal**


	10. A Truly Merry Christmas

**Hm, I bet some of you were waiting for this. ;)**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_I don't care about whose DNA has recombined with whose. When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching-they are your family." ~ Jim Butcher, Proven Guilty._

zzz

Christmas was just a few days away. Jazz had come home several days prior and was beyond happy to hear that she no longer had to save her brother from being burnt, zapped, or torn apart by their parents anymore. Danny could see more decorations being put up for the holidays around town and Casper High had finally released them for the break. After a day of helping his parents decorating around the house, night started to fall and Danny waited patiently with a plan in mind.

He remembered the year he'd almost ruined Christmas and messed with the Ghostwriter and had wanted to do something special one year just to make up for almost ruining things. So as the night did fall, he slipped out the house after transforming in Phantom.

He flew high into the air to get an aerial view of all of Amity and looked about. He smirked and took a deep breath before sailing back down towards the town.

zzz

Danny was completely out of it, face down in his bed, snoring. He'd worked hard last night to make his masterpiece. He wasn't certain if everyone would have a bigger clue as to who TheEidolon was or to most, what he was, but he didn't mind too much. They might figure out something or they might not; it was a toss up. Finally his phone rang. He and his friends had planned to go Christmas shopping that day. He picked up the phone, not moving, and brought it to his ear before turning his head so he could speak without being hindered by his pillow.

"Hello?"

"Danny?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

"Did you?"

"Do all that stuff you see? Yep."

"You… you really did? Of course you did. Who else could?"

"Klemper?"

"Oh ha ha. I just can't believe…"

"Just something as a sorry to everyone in Amity."

"Danny, it's… it's amazing!"

"I'm glad you like it Sam."

"We're meeting at my house, but I'll call everyone else and give you another couple hours of sleep or at least to get ready. You deserve it. You did a great thing, Danny. I can see kids outside looking around."

A smile split Danny's face. "Good. See ya later, Sam."

They hung up and Danny was going to try and get at least another thirty minutes before getting up until he heard a knock at his door.

"Danny! Danny, Oh my God! Did you do all the stuff around the city! You've got to see the news, little brother!"

Danny smirked and with a groan lifted himself from his bed and pulled some things on, mostly some sweats over his boxers and a tank. He opened the door and Jazz saw the slight darkness under his eyes.

"Danny, you must've been up almost all night!"

"Yep."

"And I just woke you up."

"Yep."

Jazz grimaced slightly in guilt. "Sorry?"

Danny smiled and hugged his sister. "No problem. Let's see what they have to say about my masterpiece."

The siblings went downstairs and saw their parents looking at the screen of the TV. The family sat together as Lance Thunder talked.

_And in other news, if you've been outside of your home today, then you'll notice that overnight, Amity Park has undergone a strange but beautiful transformation. Some kind of crystal or ice had coated various places around the city. The lake has frozen over and snowbanks are there to save skaters from nasty falls, arcs of ice and icicles are branching between buildings and over the roads, buildings are decorated with icy embellishments and snow, the Mall even has it's own solid ice tree decorating its front, complete with a vast variety of ornaments. To say Amity Park has been turned into a winter wonderland is an understatement folks! It's like the North Pole suddenly relocated here to humble Amity! No one is sure how this happened or why the ice like and snow like manifestations show no signs of melting. Children are playing in the streets and finding joy in the various caves and icy forts scattered about town. I don't know who or what did this, but it's given a new twist to Christmas in Amity._

As soon as Lance was done, Jack and Maddie turned to look at their son with blank faces. He blinked when suddenly Jack grinned like a mad-man and scooped him up into a bone-crushing hug.

"Danno! Do you know how proud Santa would be of you!? This is amazing, son!"

"Oh Danny, it's beautiful! You must be exhausted sweetie, making and shaping all that ice."

Danny slipped out of his father's hug with intangibility and took a large gasp of air, before smiling.

"Thanks Mom, Dad. I just wanted to well…"

"Yes dear, but it was the Ghostwriter's fault! You just let your temper act as a catalyst. It's our fault too, your father and I, for being so silly and not being as attentive as we should've been." Maddie smiled sadly and kissed Danny on the cheek.

"Now aren't you and Jazz needing to get ready to go shopping? Me and your father have some things to do before we go out ourselves."

Danny and Jazz perked up before cutting their eyes over at each other. Both then turned and darted for the staircase before slamming into each other and struggling to be the first to go up the stairs. Danny then went intangible and flew up through the wall.

"No fair!" Jazz shouted after she'd fallen to the ground due to the absence of her brother's presence beside her.

She heard the water turn on in the upstairs shower. "What's that, Jazz? I can't hear you over the sound of the water! It'll have to wait until I'm out!"

Jazz grumbled. "Aren't you the jokester."

zzz

"Goodness, Danny. I have to say, obviously ghosts can create beautiful things." Valerie spoke in awe as the five friends walked down the road, towards the Mall. People were out everywhere, looking at the ice and snow that wouldn't melt until Danny made it melt. He saw children laughing and playing with their watchful parents nearby.

"Thanks, Valerie."

"Dude, how'd you shape so much ice?" Tucker asked and started typing on his new PDA, like he was doing calculations.

"Practice from the sculptures. I had to take a few breaks here and there, though."

"This has got to be thousands and thousands of tons of ice and snow dude."

"Don't remind me."

Sam smiled brightly and swung her and Danny's interlocked hands a bit. She was of course more happy than her normal self since it was the holidays; she always was cheerful this time of year.

"I think it's just… actually I don't think words do it justice."

"Geez, Sam." Danny replied and blushed deeply.

"How long do you think it'll take for someone to figure out the connection between TheEidolon and this none melting ice?" Jazz asked.

"Probably not too long. Then again the town still hasn't figure out I'm Phantom," Danny replied and shrugged. "But at least it'll explain what the sculptures are made of at the very least."

"Or they might never make the connection," Tucker quipped.

Suddenly a wisp of blue flew out from Danny's mouth and Valerie's alarm beeped a couple times at her.

"WILL YOU BE MY FRIEND!?"

"AAAAHHHH!"

Danny sighed and looked around before walking into an alleyway and transforming with Valerie beside him. The two flew out with their friends hot on their tails. They neared the center of town and saw Klemper looking at a bunch of people with a finger to his mouth in confusion. He turned to look over his shoulder and saw Danny.

"Phantom!" Klemper shouted and barreled into Danny, giving him a massive hug.

"Hey Klemper," Danny replied and saw everyone below looking up in confusion.

"I was just asking these humans if they'd be my friends. If they scream… is that a yes or a no?" Klemper backed up and cocked his head.

"You just spooked them, that's all," Danny smiled.

Valerie deadpanned and glanced over at Danny. "Really? Spooked them?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "It's the truth."

"Phantom, could you teach me to use my ice powers better? I've made forts before, but nothing like this! You turned all of Amity into a white winter wonderland!" Klemper squealed and spun with his arms wide.

People on the street started whispering and one brave man moved forward. "Is that true, Phantom? Did you do all of this?"

Danny looked down at the man and smiled. He rubbed the back of his neck when he answered. "I uh, was kinda a scrooge one year if you haven't forgotten and I just wanted to do something to try and set things right. I'd thought about this for a while and well… did it. It's ecto-ice. It doesn't melt like normal ice, so whenever everyone wants it gone just give me a shout and I'll melt it down when you've all wintered out."

A little boy broke from his mother's hold and ran forward to be more directly under the two ghosts and the Huntress. He smiled. "Thanks Mr. Phantom. I've nebber seen something so bootyful."

Danny face broke into a smile and he floated down closer to the boy. "Thanks, I'm happy you like it." He held out his hand in front of the boy. With little effort, he formed an ice crystal and placed it in the boy's hand.

"Whoa." The boy looked over at Klemper who'd been watching. "You were wanting a friend?"

Klemper perked up and Danny glanced back nervously.

"A friend?"

"Yeah. I'll be your friend, Mr. Klemppar."

Danny turned to face Klemper and put a hand in front of the ghost's face. "Only for the day though, okay Klemper? I'm sure his parents don't want you popping in randomly."

"Awwww…. Phantom… He WANTS to be my FRIEND!" Klemper whined and his lip trembled.

"I know and that's very kind of him, but his parents wouldn't like that, so you listen and behave and maybe you can be friends with him another day if you ask me."

Klemper pouted. "Why do I have to listen to you?"

"Because, Amity is my lair."

"You don't have a lair because your a-"

Danny slapped a hand over Klemper's mouth and glanced back at the people nervously. He chuckled and then glanced at Klemper again.

"Maybe not, but it's where I haunt so this can go very well or very poorly, your choice. I can let you play with the kids if you're careful and kind or I can suck you up in the thermos and send you packing, understood?"

Klemper looked into Danny's eyes as he pulled his hand away.

Klemper smiled and nodded. "Okay okay, I just want to be tha boy's friend!"

A little girl ran up to stand beside the boy. "Can you be my friend too, Mr. Klemper?"

Klemper seemed stunned for a moment.

"You can make a snowman whiff us!"

Danny smiled and touched down on the ground. He kneeled and started to form a massive bit of ice that quickly shaped into three balls stacked on each other. The kids and adults both gasped in wonder as it slowly was shaped into a Frosty Snowman. Klemper's jaw dropped.

"Mr. Phantom! You're ice powers are so strong!" Klemper gasped and looked all over the creation.

Danny smiled. "Lots of practice. Maybe next time I'm in the Zone I'll show ya some tricks."

Klemper bounced on his heels in the snow. "Yes yes! Please!"

Danny smiled as the kids started to look all over the snowman and smile at Danny. Danny suddenly tensed though when he heard something. He snatched the kids up, making their parents gasp in alarm, before a missile slammed into the spot they'd all been. Klemper fell onto his rear and Danny halted his roll before shielding the kids with his body.

"Who's there!?" Danny looked around until his hearing picked up small engine sounds. The Guys in White came around the corner on two hover crafts.

"It's the Ghost Boy. Should've guessed by it's ectoplasmic energy level."

"Geez do you guys have to show up now? And I'm not an it, I'm a he!"

"We can't have you dirtying the streets, scum."

The little boy behind Danny yelled. "Phantom's a good guy!"

"Yeah! Leave Phantom alone, you bullies!" The girl shouted.

Danny grabbed them up and floated them over to their parents' arms. He then walked back to the center of the road. Sam growled and leapt out from the rest of the crowd.

"Don't you closed-minded fools have someplace else to be!?"

"Negative. We've come to inspect the ice that showed up here. It's of ectoplasmic origin and thus must be eliminated." Operative O spoke.

"Nooo!" The boy and girl whined and the adults started murmuring.

"It's just ice and snow! The only difference is that it doesn't melt from the Human world's properties. I swear that's all it is!" Phantom exclaimed.

"First we need to deal with you, Ghost Boy." Operative K replied.

They aimed two missiles at Danny and fired. Danny leapt into the air and flew away only for the rockets to follow him. Valerie watched in shocked anger with Danny's friends. The people on the street were trying to decide what to do.

The rockets eventually slammed into Danny and he fell to the ground and rolled across the ground. His suit was torn in a few places and ectoplasm was oozing through the burnt places on his skin. He groaned and pulled himself to his hands and knees.

Operative K aimed another set of rockets and the people started booing the Guys in White. The rocket flew, Valerie moved to help Danny before he took a deep breath and let loose a stream of fire from his throat. The rockets exploded as soon as they neared the flames and the ice near Danny melted a bit. Danny glared up at the Operatives and his eyes glowed green before he slid into the ground. The two operatives glanced around with their goggles but couldn't find Danny while he was in the ground. Suddenly he was behind them and he thrust his hands into the hovercraft they were on with intangibility and yanked out some wires. The craft started to waver in the air.

"You leave everyone alone! This ice and snow is for everyone in Amity! If you can't appreciate it, then fly south for the winter!" Danny quipped before letting them go. Their craft wavered a bit and they growled at Danny before starting to fly away. They couldn't continue to fight with gimmicky craft.

"We'll be back Ghost Boy!"

Danny sighed and flew up to start repairing some of the ice he had to melt.

The boy pulled away from his mother's grasp again. "Mr. Phantom are you hurt?"

Phantom looked down and shook his head. "A little, but I'll be okay." Phantom floated back down to the ground and looked at Klemper. "I've got things to do, so behave and play nice, okay Klemper?"

Klemper nodded. "Okay Danny!" He then sat on the ground and started to build and snowball in his hand. The boy and girl looked at their parents and the adults glanced at each other and then Danny before smiling a little bit and slowly nodding.

Danny smiled brightly and then waved goodbye. He grinned and jumped onto the street and started to skate down the road, forcing the ice he made beneath his feet to melt so cars wouldn't have trouble once he was gone. He turned and started skating away backwards before he jumped, backflipping into the air and turning his legs into a tail at the same time and flying off.

A few people cheered at the short display and the children laughed with pleasure.

Valerie shot off after him and they searched for a place to transform.

"Show off."

"What!? I've created all this and I'm not allowed to ice skate when I wanna?"

"Okay okay, you win Danny."

Eventually the two met back up with their friends by the Mall after Valerie transformed out of her suit and Phantom turned into Fenton. The five friends walked towards the Mall, passing by the giant ice tree Danny had created.

-Thwack!-

Danny recoiled slightly when the snowball slammed into the back of his head. He turned to looked over his shoulder and glared at Dash and Kwan who were laughing behind a snow bank. The two jocks then walked off.

"Ignore them," Sam spoke as Danny melted the snow from his head with his hot core while still a bit angry.

"Trying…" Danny grumbled and the friends finally made it into the Mall to shop the day away.

zzz

**Amity Park Slums. Christmas Eve.**

A rat peeked out of a dirtied and disguarded rain guard before running out and grabbing a piece of garbage. It gnawed on the food before running away and into a crack in a worn down building. A can struck a place the rat once was.

"I don't think I could eat garbage. I would probably get sick even with my ghost half."

The voice belonged to none other than Dani Phantom. The young girl was in her human form and walking down the alley to kick the can she'd kicked before. She sighed when she got to it and kicked it one more time and a bit harder. After the can had disappeared into a pile of trash, she growled and rubbed her arms. It was so cold. It had been cold before the ice and snow had appeared around Amity, but now it was just a bit colder than before. Dani had overheard that her cousin had made the town into the Winter Wonderland it was and had thought it was great; she would have enjoyed it even more if she could've floated around in her ghost form though, not as susceptible to the cold like that. She was afraid to do that though, she didn't want to get Danny in trouble if someone spotted her and tried to hunt her. It'd been a few months since she'd been in Amity last anyways. She had kinda hoped to find Danny and just hang out with him. Every time she tried to travel far away, she always ended up back with Danny or at least being drawn to him. He was… all she had.

She sighed and walked around a corner. She yelped when a piece of paper smacked against her face due to the wind that had picked up. She peeled it from her face and saw it was a page from a calendar. It read, "December twenty fourth." Dani had forgotten… Christmas was tomorrow.

"The time of year families are supposed to be together…"

She let the wind take the page from her hand.

"Sucks to be me…"

She rounded the next corner and got a good view of the Mall. A tree of ice glistened in the lights about the streets and homes and Mall itself.

"Danny… I think I remember him mentioning he didn't like Christmas."

Dani perked up, thinking that maybe he'd be more apt to come do something with her if he didn't want to be around his house. It was a long shot and Dani knew that in the back of her mind, but that tiny bit of hope was powerful enough to get her to turn herself invisible and run towards Danny's home. That would be the first place she'd look.

zzz

It was finally Christmas Eve and Danny was happy. Imagine that. His family had started some new traditions since that fateful year with the Ghostwriter even before they knew he was a half-ghost; at the moment they were watching a movie as a family and drinking warm drinks. Once the movie was over, they were going to place some of the last ornaments on the tree.

"Danny."

Jazz felt Danny flinch and Danny realized Jazz hadn't heard anything.

"What's up?"

"Uh, nothing."

Danny thought maybe it was just the wind or something when he heard it again.

"Cuz!" It whispered louder in his ear. He realized what might be going on and excused himself from the room. He walked into the room that the family had put the tree in that year.

"Dani?"

As soon as the words came off his tongue. Danielle in her human form phased into view.

"Danny? Uh, Merry Christmas?"

Danny smiled and bent to hug his 'cousin' tightly. "How've you been Dani? You've grown."

"So have you, Mr. Gigantor!"

"Tch," Danny teased and messed Dani's hair.

"Danny, what are doing in- Oh my!"

Danielle froze and gasped before phasing out of sight in front of Danny's Mom.

"Oh I didn't mean to scare her!"

Danny stood and looked around. "Dani! Dani! Come back, it's okay! Mom knows, everything. Dad too."

"What do I know?" Jack asked and popped his head into the room, making the ball of his Santa hat he was wearing sway. Jazz was right behind him.

Danny looked around, "They know about you and where you really came from. Please come out, Dani. I want you to meet them."

Finally, Dani slowly appeared and looked around at the people there.

Maddie smiled and kneeled like Danny had done once again.

"Hello sweetie. Your name's Dani right? With an I?"

Dani smiled. "Yep!" She glanced at Danny. "So they're cool with the clone thing?"

"Yeah." Danny nodded and then furrowed his brows. "Why did you need me by the way?"

Dani glanced at the ground and messed with her foot against the carpet.

"I uh… didn't wanna be alone for Christmas. I thought that if you were out and about then we could mess around at the arcade or something. I'm sorry. It was stupid to come. Of course you'd wanna be with your family. I'll just leave." Dani turned to walk out of the room and towards the front door when she saw Danny frown.

"It's a shame the whole family won't be together for Christmas."

Dani paused and looked over her shoulder at Danny. "Huh? You have another sibling or something? I thought Jazz was the only sibling you had and your parents are here."

"A younger sister. She's been gone for a while. I've been worrying about her since she flew away from me and the Huntress, dramatically, I might add. She's really independent, but I'm becoming more and more of an overprotecting and overbearing brother the older I get. Never shoulda bugged Jazz about her tendencies. Her name starts with a-Ooff!" Danny was winded when Dani slammed into him, hugging his neck tightly.

Dani looked up at Maddie and Jack with tears starting to gather in her eyes. "Can I really stay for Christmas?"

Maddie smiled. "How about always, sweetie?"

Jack jumped in quickly. "We Fentons stick together! No man or woman left behind!"

Danielle tensed and Danny smiled at her. "He's a real father. He won't use you. He'll love you and so will Mom. She's not a hologram and Jazz isn't a cat named after my mother."

Jazz frowned with slight irritation, Maddie grimaced with slight revulsion, and Jack frowned in slight sadness.

"Really?"

"Have I ever lied to you?" Danny asked and noogied her.

"No!" Dani shouted and laughed.

"I'm sure Tucker can forge some kind of birth certificate. Maybe we can say you're some kind of lost cousin from Arkansas or something." Danny smiled and Dani smiled right back before closing her eyes.

"I can't believe I got a family for my Christmas present."

Danny opened his mouth in surprise before a smile adorned his face. He felt her breathing slow in slumber. "She must be tired and it was cold outside. She doesn't have a specific place for shelter."

Maddie sighed. "Poor dear."

"She can sleep in my bed with me until we figure out a room for her," Jazz spoke up.

Danny handed the young girl to his father who lifted her with ease. Danny then smiled and transformed into Phantom.

"Where are you off to?" Maddie asked.

"Dani needs at least a few presents to open for Christmas."

Maddie smiled slowly. "Okay sweetheart. Try to get back soon though. Be careful."

Danny nodded and flew gently through the roof.

"He's getting more and more doting as time goes on," Jazz spoke.

"I guess he's growing up," Maddie smiled before walking out of the room to see if Jack had put Dani to bed.

Jazz frowned wistfully. "Or he's just learn what's important very quickly."

Jazz turned and walked out of the room after taking one last look at the Christmas tree. She spied a few ornaments Danny had made of etco-ice, there. She smiled and walked away.

zzz

"Danny! Danny! Danny! Danny!"

"Uggg…"

"Danny!"

"Five more minutes."

"But it's Christmas morning!" Dani yelled out bounced one more time as hard as she could on Danny's bed. Danny yelped as he was tossed to the floor.

"Okay okay, let's go." Danny chuckled and pulled himself up from the ground. He walked off behind Dani as she darted out of his room and ran down the stairs. Jazz, Maddie, and Jack were already at the bottom of the stairs.

"Morning Danny, Dani," Maddie spoke and nodded to both children.

"Morning mom," Danny replied.

"Morning, Mrs. Fenton."

"It's going to be mom soon sweetie," she glanced up at Danny. "I got the message from Tucker this morning. We'll be having an advocate from an local adoption agency come sometime next week. They've already looked over the documents Tucker made to show she was a cousin from Arkansas that no longer has her parents. The only thing we need is for our family to be deemed adequate for her home."

"How hard can that be!?" Jack bellowed.

Jazz gulped subconsciously and Danny chuckled a bit nervously as well, both siblings glancing at each other swiftly.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Jazz and Danny replied at the same time.

The family then moved into the room holding the tree and presents and began passing some around to each other to open. Dani was watching the family pass the gifts around, contently, when Danny pulled a box from under the tree and placed it in Dani's hands.

"What's this?"

"A present, dur." Danny teased her before resting back on his calves.

Dani blinked in confusion. "But how'd you get them on such short notice…"

"Ghost powers, dur. It takes like a minute to get to the Mall at over a hundred and twenty miles per hour."

Dani smiled brightly and put the present down to hug Danny.

"Thanks Danny… for everything."

The rest of the day went on merrily with Danny calling and saying Merry Christmas to his friends even if Sam celebrated Hanukah. They were all happy to hear Dani in the background.

zzz

If was a couple days after Christmas and the Fentons, plus friends were in the lab, testing some things and watching Danny and Dani practice their powers. After a bit of speed shooting and aerial maneuvers, they both touched down and transformed into their human selves. Dani shivered.

"Is anyone else cold down here?"

Danny raised an eyebrow and looked at Dani's quivering form.

"Huh… I wonder."

Maddie had heard Dani's complaint and turned from her invention to look that the kids.

"What do you wonder, Danny?"

"That was the same way I first started showing the ability to use my Cyrokinesis. I got really cold, colder than normal."

"You mean you think I can use Cyrokinesis like you?" Dani asked.

"Maybe. Perhaps we should go talk to Clockwork again. He explained why I can use both my cores, maybe he can explain more especially if there's major difference between us or not."

Jack immediately ran over excitedly. "Can we take a family field trip to the Ghost Zone?"

"How could that go wrong?" Jazz asked sarcastically.

Danny looked at his parents and smiled. "Well so long as you do what I say, okay? There are rules."

"Not Walker's though."

"No definitely not Walker's."

With that, everyone climbed into the Spector Speeder and was ready to head off to Clockwork's tower.

zzz

"It seems I'm getting more and more visitors the older I get. I'm not that interesting, am I?" The old ghost asked once everyone was in the room. He had a mischievous smile on his face when he spoke.

"Of course Clockwork! I mean your library and your knowledge of time," Jazz spouted.

Clockwork chuckled at the response. He glanced only briefly at Jack and Maddie, who were staring at him in stunned silence. He smiled and turned away to get something.

Danny laughed and looked over his shoulder at his parents. "That means he likes you."

"Very funny, Daniel."

Clockwork turned back around with a book that looked very familiar to Sam.

"Hey wait, that book's the one I picked up in Frostbite's library."

"Indeed it is Samantha. Do you remember what you learned from it?"

"That ghost cores are the same strength always as soon as they are created and a more powerful ghost can consume another's core if they overshadow the other ghost."

"That's correct."

"What does that have to do with me?" Dani asked. "I mean, you do know why we're here. Danny said you know everything."

"Daniel is correct. Father Time knows all."

Everyone turned and saw Hakan float into the room.

"Hakan! It's good to see you again," Danny nodded.

"And you as well, spirit of limbo."

"Spirit of Limbo?" Dani asked and gave Danny a funny look.

"You seem to have a pest problem on your hands, Clockwork. They're multiplying."

Dani frowned and Jack growled. "What was that, spook?"

Danny got anxious and jumped in front of his father. "Wait dad, I know he's kinda a jerk but he is just that way. It doesn't bother me… much."

Clockwork nodded and looked at Hakan. "My friend, you will need to learn and try to drop your conceptions of these children and their gifts."

"Very well." Hakan nodded.

Clockwork nodded to Jack who seemed visibly calmer.

"Back to the issue at hand. Being what abilities Dani may or may not have of Daniel's. The truth behind Dani's birth is a bit more complicated than a simple clone. If she was a perfect clone then she'd be male, Danny's age, and have every single power he has or could obtain at her disposal. However, she isn't. Vlad didn't think to use the mid-morph DNA during conception of the clone until after Dani. If that last clone had been completed he indeed would've had the perfect clone. Instead he used only Daniel's ghost DNA to make Dani, but he needed mid-morph DNA or some human component to stabilize it. He ultimately took human DNA from Daniel and altered it enough to make a semi-stable clone. A strange sort of apomixis allowed her to form and she became a _she_, primarily because Vlad mixed his samples on accident and used two X chromosomes instead of one X and one Y. He used her because she was the only one to stay together. From there the clone, Dani, grew until she started to die. That's where the ghost DNA came in. It kept her from dying because her body didn't need as much as a normal human body does, but the two halves forced together weren't stable, as you are aware, Dani. The mid-morph DNA at that stage would've only stabilized you in a different way opposed to the Ecto-dejecto. You were too far developed to receive the benefits of being Daniel's perfect clone. So you are half as powerful as Daniel, because you only received half of his core, the other half would've been only obtainable to you from the mid-morph sequence if you'd received it earlier in development. You only have access to his cold core. Daniel is the only one of the two of you who has access to his hot core. In short, you're essentially a perfect female human clone of Daniel, but not a perfect female half-ghost clone of Daniel."

"So I can only learn half of the things he will eventually?" Dani asked.

Clockwork nodded. "Only those supported by a cold core. No fire, no lightning."

"Wait, lightning?" Danny asked.

Clockwork paused. "And this is the second thing that must be discussed. Daniel, your core is very special. Not only is it a core of a Halfa, but it is an exceptionally powerful core. Tell me, how did Vlad receive his powers?"

"A portal exploded on his face."

"And Dani?"

"I guess an injection or something to her uh… this is weird… her zygote while Vlad was making her."

"And you?"

Danny paused.

"I got electrocuted by the big portal."

"And?"

"And what?"

Clockwork nodded. "You see Daniel, you weren't just shocked with a bit of ectoplasm or injected with a bit of ectoplasmic material. Your whole body was shocked by the essence of the Ghost Zone itself. Your core is powerful not just because you're growing as a young man and learning how to manage the full power you were given, but because of h_ow_ you received your powers as well. Remember the book? Your core was strong at the very beginning, you've simply been learning how to control all the power inside you. Dan on the other hand, gave up the ability to 'learn' more about his core since he buried his humanity. A ghost's humanity helps them learn about their core's power so to speak… Indeed Daniel, you're also as strong as you are because your human too."

Danny blinked in awe and furrowed his brows, "So I've been stronger than Vlad all this time?"

"Yes."

Danny gulped. "Then when Dan… overshadowed Vlad's ghost half…"

"That was Vlad's interpretation of what happened. He thought his evil had overwhelmed you. He didn't understand the laws that ghost cores follow. Dan received some of Vlad's physical attributes, mostly the alteration of his flaming hair, cape and teeth as reward for consuming Vlad. What you have to understand is trying to split you and your ghost half in half is like playing Russian roulette. You never know what you get. You could get a placid and irresponsible Fenton and a heroic Phantom with his ice core, or…"

Everyone was watching Danny in confusion. They knew vaguely how Dan was created, but that was it.

"A scared and cowardly Fenton… and a bloodthirsty and out of control… Phantom with a hot core." Danny swallowed thickly. "So he basically devoured Vlad?"

"Yes. His rage knew no limit. His obsession was warped and he set out to protect himself instead of others."

Sam put the pieces together. "So let me get this straight. Every time Danny is forced apart from his ghost half in one way or another, you could get two very different personalities from either?"

"You are mostly correct. It's not separate personalities, but simply parts of Daniel amplified."

Danny grew angry. "I have no part of that monster inside me! I'm not bloodthirsty!"

Clockwork frowned. "Maybe not in the context most assign that word, but you are human. You've desired revenge just like any other at one point in time during your life. The more one numbs themselves from their humanity to feed the beast that is hate and revenge the crueler and more malicious they become. Do you recall your time as a slave to Freakshow?"

Danny was trying to keep up with Clockwork jumping topics. "Yeah, well I mean Sam and Tuck told me what I'd done in more detail. It was a bit fuzzy."

"That staff completely numbs the humanity of ghosts and without their humanity present, their freewill is taken. It's an illusion of sorts. The staff fakes the numbing of one's humanity as to lock onto the ghost's core and enslave them to the holder of the staff. However, the staff can not work on humans and very powerful ghosts. You still had access to all of your humanity so you were able to break free from its spell from time to time. Very powerful ghosts are simply able to ignore the illusion because they've balanced their remaining humanity and obsession perfectly or because they are already so full of malice that the illusion doesn't numb their humanity since it's already numb. The point of all this talk is that that numbness you felt under control of the Staff… is what Dan feels always without the puppet master Freakshow there to pull the strings, though he DID make to choice himself to bury what humanity remains. That time is when you, Daniel Fenton, felt what it was like, a tiny taste of what you would be without your humanity and Dan is what you would have become if you ignored your humanity for a prolonged period of time."

Danny looked away with slight shame on his face.

"Do not fret, Daniel. If you were full ghost and so was everyone in Amity, you would've all fallen to the lure of the staff. This bloodthirstiness is not something unique to you alone. It's something all humans and ghosts must wrestle with. As your father said. We all have our demons."

Danny nodded with a slight reassuring smile on his face. Everyone talked a bit longer about things. Danny asked about lightning and Hakan said that lightning takes extreme focus and concentration to use. He said that trying to make his ghost fire into lightning wasn't the best option and instructed that starting with ectoplasm rays while using his hot core would be the best way to try and manifest lightning, since ectoplasm was already plasma of some kind. The fire would simply spark out every time he tried that route. The family and friends then said their goodbyes and left. While they were leaving, Sam saw Danny glance back at Clockwork's tower with a worried and contemplative look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

Danny looked at her and sighed. "I hate Dan more than anything, but… Clockwork seems to believe he still has humanity inside him... somewhere." He paused and then went back to talking again. "While under Freakshow's control, I felt so hazy and mad the whole time. I knew I had done bad things and I didn't care at all. I didn't care at all if those policemen died or not when I shot at their cars... and in the moments before... I didn't care if you fel..."

Danny stopped speaking and became silent after that; he turned away from Sam to be with his own thoughts as they neared the Fenton's portal. Sam frowned at Danny in worry. She had always wondered what sort of control Danny had had while under Freakshow's spell. His words indeed made her wonder too.

_How should I scare you?_

zzz

"You're placing seeds of doubt into their minds, why?" Hakan asked.

Clockwork sighed. "Mostly because everyone must always remember that everything isn't as it seems." He glanced over at the thermos which rattled a bit.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're planning, Father Time. With Malus coming…"

"Think of it this way, Hakan. "The balance" isn't just an overarching thing that effects everyone like gravity. "The balance" is multiplied millions and millions of times within the lives and afterlives of everything that is. As your people believed, we are all connected. When someone's balance is shifted in an unsavory way, the threads that connect them to the people they love or know are bent with them. The further they fall, the more strain is put all all the balances and threads at work. To fix what you perceive as the overarching 'balance', I must fix some individuals' balances or at the very least repair _some_ of the strain on the threads, pull then up a bit from their fall. They can either fix the rest on their own or deal. I can't make the world perfect, but I try to patch up the largest holes. Ironically the lives of the Fentons and their friends… have created a good many holes, but they've also opened doors for others' tears to find repair. A give and take. They will help others while I help them and that is why I'm Daniel's guardian and it is also why I do things the way I do."

Hakan shook his head. "I believe I partially understood what you mean, Time-master, but I will put my trust in your abilities instead of trying to fully comprehend." He frowned. "It's just... that monster has no remorse. You could say he is almost completely indifferent to suffering."

"You could almost say the same about me you realize. I must turn my back on suffering often times."

"But you feel bad about it."

"True... but you must also consider that his experiences have taught him to hate the way he does."

"That doesn't excuse him."

"The past is knowledge, the present is action, and the future is hope..." Clockwork nodded before shifting into his child form. "With time things always become clearer."

zzz

**The next day. FentonWorks. Adoption Agency visit.**

"So wait, I'm trying to figure this out. What is the agent looking for?"

Danny was moving around in his room, organizing things the best he could for the visit from the social worker that afternoon. They had fixed up the guest room in their house for Dani's use, since they rarely got any real guests that used it. While they waited for the arrival of the worker, each family member was in charge of their own room of the house to clean. They had securely locked the lab as well. If the social worker ever went down there… they'd probably have Danny removed from the home; Jazz was already legally an adult.

"A nice home environment. They just wants to make sure our home is suitable for your needs."

"Tch, it's like they think I don't have a brain or something. Of course this place suits my needs!"

"I know, it's kinda dumb, but they're just trying to protect you… I guess."

Dani huffed and flopped on Danny's bed. "If they only knew."

"Yep, that sentence just about sums you and me up, huh?"

Dani giggled. Then they both heard Maddie's call. "Come on down! The worker should be here any minute!"

So the Fenton family all converged in the den and sat on the couch awkwardly, waiting for the social worker to come. Jazz looked like she was nervously sweating and Danny kept fidgeting his fingers. _What if they take her away? She__'__ll just run away and come back to us over and over again. What if they take me away? What have we gotten ourselves into?_

-Knock- knock-

Maddie took a breath and moved from the couch. "Coming!" She smiled brightly when she opened the door.

There was a hispanic man at the door in a dark suit. He shifted the papers in his arms and nodded. "Hello Mrs. Fenton."

"Oh, hello, Mr.-"

"Harrison, James W. Harrison."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Harrison. Please, come in."

Maddie escorted the man to the den where his eyes landed on the rest of the Fenton family and finally, Dani.

"Hello Miss Danielle Barnhill."

Dani cocked an eyebrow at the last name and glanced at Danny. He gave her a look that said to go with it.

"Oh, yeah. Hi there."

Mr. Harrison nodded and Maddie helped seat him before seating herself beside Jack once more.

"Hello, Mr. Harrison. I'm Jack Fenton, a pleasure." Jack extended his hand and Mr. Harrison shook firmly.

"A pleasure to me as well." He glanced at Jazz and Danny. "And you must be Jasmine Fenton and Daniel Fenton, correct?"

"Yes sir," Jazz and Danny answered together.

"Good good… Alright then, let's get this started. This case it quite odd. Let's start with what happened, Danielle."

Dani perked up and nodded. She knew this part. "I uh, used to live with my parents off the grid in the Ozarks. They passed on though and I didn't know where to go. After wandering around a while, I remembered I had distant family in Amity Park, so I came here and found the Fentons. They welcomed me with open arms. I love my folk." Dani ended with a tiny smile.

"I see. Have you ever been educated?"

"Yeah, my Ma taught me some." She was trying to add just a few things to her speech to make it seem plausible.

"We'll have to do that evaluation later before trying to place you in the school system, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I want to talk to each of you on your own, then I'll look around the house and we can finish up the paper work if everything checks out."

zzz

**Jack.**

Jack and Mr. Harrison were alone in the den. Jack was on the couch still and remained in the chair across from him.

"So Mr. Fenton, what do you do for a living?"

"Well we _do_ live in Amity Park. Since collage, me and my wife have been studying and hunting ghosts."

"Ghosts?"

"They do exist. For a while we weren't sure, but then they just started popping up more and more. Ask anyone in Amity Park about ghosts. They'll say the same."

Mr. Harrison nodded and scribbled something in his notebook.

"Mr. Fenton tell me about your wife."

The agent saw Jack's face burst into a large smile.

"Maddie is the love of my life. I honestly don't know where I'd be without her. She's wonderful. I don't know what she saw in me."

"And your children?"

He saw Jack's smile get larger and his face glow at the mention of his kids.

"Jazzy-pants is so so smart, Danny-boy too, but her mind's a marvel like her mother's. Danny's got the biggest heart and he's super protective of his friends and family. Jazz has always tried to be protective of Danny too, being the big sister. Dani… Danny loves her already. She's grown attached to him and looks up to him in so many ways. My kids are great and having Dani join would be wonderful. Just the idea of her coming all the way here and finding Danny, we didn't hesitate letting her in our home."

Mr. Harrison had been scribbling the whole time.

"You seem to love your children deeply, Mr. Fenton."

"I love fudge too, but I wouldn't give my life to protect fudge."

Mr. Harrison looked up in confusion at first before understanding crossed his features.

"I understand perfectly, Mr. Fenton. Thank you, please tell Jasmine to come in."

zzz

**Jazz.**

"My dad didn't give you the speech about the log cabin and the war, did he?"

"Uh."

"Good."

Mr. Harrison smiled. "Jasmine-"

"Please call me Jazz."

"Of course, Jazz. Tell me about your parents."

"Oh!" Jazz smiled and clapped her hands together. "You're trying to do a partial psychoanalysis of me by interpreting my descriptions of my parents I give, right?"

"Psych major?"

"Working on a Master hopefully, with a minor in Supernatural Studies."

"So you like ghosts like your parents?"

"At first it was weird and I didn't believe in ghosts, but over time, especially after I learned they were real, I became more interested. I want to study the psychological influence ghosts have on humans and vice versa."

"I see."

"Oh my parents, of course. Mom is a strong independent woman. I've always wanted to be as strong as she is. Dad is a little goofy, but he means well. They're both very good parents though. They love us both so much."

"Your brother had a little streak of rebellion for a couple years recently. I have a few notes about his school's assessment of him."

"My brother had some things bothering him personally, but his friends were helping him until he finally felt comfortable talking to our parents about it." Jazz shifted nervously.

"He didn't feel comfortable talking to his parents?"

"What teenager does? But really it was more a misunderstanding or miscommunication rather than a 'fear' per say." Jazz knew she was mostly lying about that, because Danny had been afraid for his life or half-life, but she couldn't explain all that to Mr. Harrison.

"Oh I see."

"Our family's a bit weird but it's a good one. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Mr. Harrison smiled. "Thank you Jazz. Please retrieve your mother for me."

zzz

**Maddie.**

"So you study and hunt ghosts with your husband, Mrs. Fenton?"

"Behind every strong woman is a strong man."

"Of course. Tell me about your husband."

"Jack is wonderful. He's a bit goofy and clumsy at times but his heart is so kind. He's big and intimidating but he's really a big teddy bear. I love him dearly."

"And your children?"

Maddie's eyes sparkled.

"My children are great. Jazz is so responsible and Danny is so thoughtful. I love them to pieces. They're my whole world. Dani coming now… It's like a blessing really. Jack and I had wanted a third child, but our work had kept us from having one until now. We knew it was meant to be when she came to our door."

"I see. Thank you, bring in Daniel next please."

zzz

**Danny.**

"So uh, my parents didn't weird you out, right?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Uh, they can be a bit goofy, but they're good parents."

"Daniel-"

"Please, Danny."

"Danny, talk to me about your parents."

"They're great."

"…" Mr. Harrison shifted in his seat. "That's all?"

"Well I mean what more can I say? I love them? They're the best? Uh, They're kind, caring, good role models, uh…"

"I see, that's fine. Now about the last couple years. You were having some trouble in school. Nothing major… except your grades were lower than they had been and you'd been late and even skipping class all together. That's the extent of what I know."

"I just uh… was going through a phase?"

"You don't talk much, huh?"

"Is that a requirement?"

Mr. Harrison laughed. "No no, of course not."

Danny sighed. "I just was confused for a while. I came to my senses though. I realized my parents weren't the bad guys and were just trying to help. I was just being a teenager that wanted to be an adult before I was ready." _Not true at all, but that won__'__t hurt him._

Mr. Harrison glanced down and saw Danny's fingers trembling against his legs.

"Is something wrong?"

Danny flinched slightly and chuckled. "I have some anxiety problems, but that's what family's for. I just worry about Dani. I know if this doesn't go well she won't be happy. She'll run away from her family and come back to us."

"What makes you so sure? It sounds like you know Dani more than it would seem possible since you just met her, being a long lost family member and all."

"Uh… Well. When she first showed up, I didn't mention her to mom or dad. She found me at school. She didn't know at first that we were family, until we slowly started to talk more and more. After we found out we were distantly related, I asked her if she wanted my family as hers and at first she said no. Eventually though, she missed me, so she came in Christmas Eve. I would like having a little sister. She's fun and we like a lot of the same things. My girlfriend and other friends like her a lot too."

Mr. Harrison nodded. "I guess you both really are related by more than just distant blood then, huh?" He smiled.

Danny chuckled. "I guess so." _If only you had any idea how related we are._

"Wonderful. Well thank you Daniel, let's get Dani in here and then I'll take a walk of the house."

zzz

**Dani.**

"Ms. Barnhill."

"Just Dani, please… with an I."

"Ah, of course." Mr. Harrison nodded. "So you traveled all the way from Arkansas to Amity."

"Yeah."

"What made you come to Amity?"

"I was pretty sure I had some family up there, but I didn't know what they looked like."

"I see. What do you think of your prospective family?"

Dani smiled. "I don't know much about Mr and Mrs. Fenton or even Jazz, but they seem very very nice."

"And Danny?"

Dani beamed. "He's the brother I always wanted. He brought me into his home and loved me no matter where I was from or who I was. He's… a life saver. He even went at midnight on Christmas Eve to get presents for me to open on Christmas day. He didn't want me not to have something to open."

"That's very thoughtful of him."

"That's just how he is. He's a good guy."

"What do you think about the Fenton's occupation?"

"Huh?"

"Their job? To hunt and study ghosts?"

"I thought it was a little freaky at first, but really it's cool."

"So you want to be here?"

"Yes."

"You are certain. You weren't being forced to stay or being bribed in any way?"

"No er Yes, I mean, gah what's with the double questions? I want to be here because I like the Fentons a lot."

"Why's that?"

Dani grumbled and yelped out something before she could stop herself. "I don't belong anywhere but here!" She paused when she realized what she'd subconsciously admitted to the worker and more importantly to herself.

Mr. Harrison smiled. "Very well."

zzz

Mr. Harrison looked over the house, seeing that it was clean and nothing was dangerous for Dani's health at her age. He didn't have to worry as if they were adopting a baby, so it wasn't as intrusive. He did ask about the basement and Maddie explained that they did invent things down there, but it was always locked when they were working and they took great pains to keep everything safe and secure.

Mr. Harrison smiled as he was walked to the front door. He turned and faced the family. "Well, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, I'll be expecting you at City Hall tomorrow to fill out some forms and-" He glanced at Dani. "-and you in a few days to do an evaluation for your educational future. But I feel this home and this family will be more than suitable for Dani's new home. Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, Ms. Danielle Barnhill. Soon you'll be Ms. Danielle Fenton."

Maddie clasped her hands together and hugged Jack, while Danny and Jazz threw and arm over each other and Dani. Dani was staring forward blankly, but no one noticed. She snapped back to reality when Mr. Harrison kneeled.

"I hope this family can help you heal from your loss."

Dani didn't know what he meant at first until she remembered he was meaning her non-existent deceased parents.

"Yeah…" Dani replied and for some reason thought of Vlad. She remembered her parental love she once had felt for him and could see him resting in his large chair. She frowned. "I'm certain they will…" Those visuals in her mind faded away as she spoke.

Mr. Harrison rose and said his parting words to the Fentons before exiting through the front.

"Dani! You're part of our family now!"

"Oh sweetie, welcome."

"Do you mind if I call you Pumpkin? or Princess? What nickname would you like?"

Dani turned and faced her new family with a blank look. Danny frowned and bent slightly to look into her shielded eyes when she glanced at the ground.

"Dani, what's wrong?" Danny paused when he thought he heard sniffling. "Dani?"

He gasped when she leaned forward and hugged him, leaning her body weight on him. He could really hear it now. She was crying.

"I have a real family."

Danny smiled and the other Fentons smiled too when they finally understood.

"A real family…"

**zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz**

**The feels are real! Dani's part of the crew!**

**zzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**Randamwriter: When is dani coming?**

**NoSignal: Tada! She's here.**

**Nurse Medusa: Will you write more and do you like cats?**

**NoSignal: Yes and uh... yes? lol.**

**13BlueBananas: Where the heck did you pull 'TheEidolon' from? It sounds vaguely familiar... Huh.**

**NoSignal: Eidolon is a synonym for a specter or phantom. I just added the The in front with no spacing :)**

**Zanza Flux: Did you notice his reaction when Jazz told him she knew about his secret. There was no sarcasm or snark there. He was genuinely surprised. I think something about him changed in that moment. When he knocked her out, instead of leaving her on the floor, he tucked her into her bed. Why would he do that if he really felt nothing but hatred for his family?**

**NoSignal: I do get the feeling that that part in the movie(mini movie) was important. I don't think the writer's of the show did that on accident. Obviously those our mine thoughts on it, but the look of surprise and slight pain on Dan's face when he is pretending to be Danny seemed too real. They could of had him say something like, "Oh really? I suppose you always were the nosy type" or something like that. As for the bed thing, I think he was just trying to make it seem like she'd had a nightmare, but it still is kinda an odd reaction from something that's supposed to be a monster...**

**I find Dan to be a complex character and I like when more thought is put into him than just, death and destruction. I intend to do that. In the show he wasn't much complex than that, but hey... that's what fanfiction's for! *cracks knuckles ready to type more***

**zzzz**

**Thanks to everyone for all their support and such! I appreciate it so greatly. I certainly wasn't expecting the amount of support I've received so quickly. You're all wonderful!**

**~NoSignal**


	11. Frustrations

**And now we get to see Dani at school some :)**

* * *

**Sorry about the wait, I wasn't allowing myself to publish this chapter until I published the next chapter for my pokemon story, since it's been around longer.**

* * *

***** Okay Guys, we've finally come to the point where I no longer have any extra chapters. From here on out I have to write the chapters from scratch rather than edit a bit. I'm going to shoot for a chapter every week and a half roughly(since school's back) for the time being. I do have another story I'm working on with the same thing, but it should be alright. I'll inform you guys if school picks up too much and I need a bit more time for chapters. Don't fear though, I have a outline of the story from where we are to the end (I've even written like the last sentences in the story before hand, lol) I'll try to do these regular updates just like I've been doing with my Pokemon stories. *****

* * *

**Thanks you all for the support! I hope you enjoy the chapter. :D**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson." ~ Tom Bodett_

zzz

"I guess Vlad did a decent job of educating her." Tucker spoke.

"Yeah considering what could've happened. Eighth grade isn't bad for her age." Danny added.

"I've wondered several times if Dash had repeated ninth grade multiple times," Sam spoke.

"Sam, I've known Dash almost as long as Tuck."

"I can dream can't I?"

The three friends were sitting near City Hall a few days after the social worker's visit to the Fenton home. Valerie was working that day at the Nasty Burger and couldn't be there, but told them to tell Dani how proud she was of her. Dani was legally Danny's sister now and she had just gotten her scores back to place her in the educational system. She would be going into eighth grade. Dani was talking excitedly to Danny's parents and sister at the moment.

"I never got to thank you Tuck," Danny spoke up.

"Psh, it's what I do."

"Now Amity just needs to welcome a new Phantom into their lives, if you catch my drift. You know she'll want to be a part of Team Phantom and fight." Sam added.

"Yeah. I imagine she'll be fine. I'll still call her my cousin in Phantom form. I've already talked to her about that. When school starts back up, I'll tell her about what she can and can't do at school. You know, rules with using her powers," Danny replied.

"Right. I guess she'll have to make friends," Tucker spoke.

"I didn't think of that," Danny murmured.

"She'll have us until she finds someone." Sam nodded. "Casper Junior High is nearby. We share the same cafeteria and the picnic area outside for Lunch."

Their talk halted when Dani ran over.

"Danny! I'm going into eighth grade! I was terrified I was going to be put in like second grade with little kids!"

Danny laughed. "They would've simply let you home school until you caught up, but I'm real proud of you Dani. Now there's only a few things left to worry about." Danny glanced up at his parents and sister and gave a silent nod. "Follow me. See ya later Tuck, Sam." He leaned over and kissed Sam briefly.

"Have a safe flight guys and call us if you plan to patrol." Sam responded.

Danny nodded and led Dani away.

zzz

"Always make sure you're well hidden when you transform. Don't use your powers for your own personal advantage. Don't damage too many buildings. Think before you do anything, you never know what kind of hint could rat us out."

Dani frowned and then pouted when they were halfway through the alleyway they'd gone down.

"Geez, now _your_ acting like I don't have a brain."

Danny looked at her and sighed. "Sorry Dani. It's just really important."

Dani smirked and waved her hand. "No probs. I understand. Lead the way, bro." Dani smiled brightly after she'd said that. Then calmed. "Bro when Fenton, Cuz when Phantom."

Danny beamed. He positioned himself. "Ready?"

Dani smirked. "Ready."

"I'm going ghost!" The siblings shouted as bright rings of light formed around their waists and traveled up and down to turn them into their Phantom personas.

"I'm kinda nervous. I've never saved someone with my powers before. It was always just me trying to survive."

Danny smiled a little wistfully. "You saved me once from Vlad."

Dani paused and then smiled bashfully. "Yeah, forgot about that, but that wasn't with my powers I just pushed a release button."

"I didn't forget it though."

"Will they?"

"Some of them, but it's the right thing to do and that's all that matters."

Dani nodded. "Okay then let's zoom around. By the way, love the winter theme you gave Amity."

"Mind if you help me get rid of it when need be?"

"Eh, why not?"

The two siblings then shot into the air and started flying around the city. Dani got nervous as soon as she saw people looking at her in the air and pointing. Danny smiled over at her and held her hand to make her look at him.

"Don't worry about it. They're just curious."

He let go and grinned. "Race ya!" He then shot off at over a hundred and twenty miles per hour.

"Hey! Where are we even racing to? You dork!" Dani laughed and shot off behind him.

The Phantoms were laughing and flipping through the air above Amity, dancing around and dodging many of the icy structures Danny had created. They halted when an icy wisp left their mouths.

"IIII AM THE BOX GHOOOOST! BEWARE MY CUBIC SHAPED BOXES OF DOOOOOM!" The Box Ghost had appeared in front of them and was hunching over and waggling his fingers as he made his entrance.

"Perfect timing. Dani, have you met the Box Ghost?"

"Uh… maybe once?"

"Good good… Let's start your lesson then. Dani, the Box Ghost." Dani looked down and saw the Box Ghost looking between the two Phantoms in confusion. Everyone on the street was watching too. "Box Ghost, Dani."

"Ghost boy. Are you trying. to deceive. me? She can not be Danny. If YOU are Danny." The Box Ghost spoke up.

Dani smirked. "Hello Box Ghost. I'm Dani Phantom. Dani with an I. I want to introduce you to Mr. Thermos." She floated up to reveal Danny floating behind her with the thermos pointed at the specter.

"Noooo! You cannot contain me. In your. cylindrical container!" The Box Ghost yelled out as he was sucked into the thermos. Danny capped the thermos and high-fived Dani as she floated around and around Danny, giggling.

zzz

**A week later. Casper Junior High.**

The holiday break was finally over and school was back in session. Now that it was the beginning of January, the next date on the Fenton and friends' calendar was Danny's upcoming eighteenth birthday. Dani had been given some shopping money for Danny by Maddie or well… her mom, so there was that. She definitely wanted to get something nice for Danny.

At the moment, she was walking through the halls of Casper Junior High, about to start her first day of school, ever. She was wearing one of her newest outfits, which was a light blue hoodie and jeans with her blue sneakers. Her new mom had also taken her shopping as soon as the papers had been accepted and she'd become a Fenton.

She had her books in her arms and was heading towards Earth Science class.

zzz

It was Lunch now and Dani had actually enjoyed the classes she'd had so far. She'd been mostly quiet and not talked to anyone, but her mood brightened when she spotted Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie at their typical table. She started to hurry over with her bag lunch that her mom had packed her.

"Hey Kwan, I just got a Danny Phantom piece from TheEidolon the other day."

"That's awesome, Dash my man."

"Oof!" Dani yelped and fell to her butt when she bumped into Dash on the way there. Her bag struck the ground and tipped, spilling some of her things.

"Watch where you're going, girlie! Dang a stupid middle schooler bumping into me?"

"Leave her alone Dash!"

The cafeteria immediately perked up when they heard Danny's voice. The war between Dash and Danny had always been an interesting one, but recently with Danny's seemingly increasing confidence over the past few months, the war had become vastly more interesting as it didn't appear to be a one sided battle anymore. Danny had been fighting back and not just for himself.

Dash turned and saw Danny and his friends standing behind him and Kwan.

"And why should I do that, Fenturd!?"

Dani's cheeks immediately turned red with anger and she leapt up. "Don't call my brother names! You big creep!" She then kicked Dash in the shin, hard. Dash yelped and took a couple steps back to glare at her.

"The heck! Since when do you have another sister, Fenton?"

"Since over Christmas break. We adopted her. She's distant family from Arkansas. So I'll say it again, leave her alone."

Dash smirked. "So now you've got a hick in your family!"

"Oh yeah!" Dani growled. She pulled back her fist and Dash chuckled. Danny rushed between them.

"No Dani, don't. He isn't worth that, just leave it be. Is your lunch okay?" Danny asked. Dani immediately calmed down and bent to pick up her lunch.

"Yeah, everything's still clean."

"Good. Come on let's sit down." Danny offered. Sam was glaring at Dash with Valerie while Tucker was trying to act somewhat invisible.

"Are you ignoring me, Fenton?"

Dani giggled. "Did you hear something, Danny?"

"Why no Dani, I didn't"

Danny smiled and stood up before putting a hand on Dani's shoulder to walk her over to the table.

"This isn't over, Fenton. You're going to regret messing with me."

Dani whipped her head around to glare at Dash. "Threatening little girls now? How brave of you."

Dash stuttered and then growled. "I meant your geek brother, squirt!" He then turned and marched away with Kwan.

"Good one, Dani." Danny chuckled. Dani smiled brightly and sat at the table with Danny and his friends. She swung her legs as she started to eat her lunch.

"And they actually went along with that?" Sam asked, returning to the talk the group had been having before Dani had arrived.

Danny laughed. "Yeah, we went into the Fright Knight's place and put Christmas decorations all in it. Youngblood found it funnier than Johnny did, until Fright Knight noticed and got really angry."

"What are you talking about?" Dani asked and cocked her head.

Danny smirked. "Me, Youngblood and Johnny played a prank on the Fright Knight. He goes along with the Christmas truce, but he's even more of a scrooge than I was before. He hides in his castle and doesn't talk to anyone. Johnny says it's an ego thing since he's supposed to be Mr. Halloween."

Dani laughed. "He needs to get over that." Danny almost didn't hear her when she spoke under her breath. "Christmas is my favorite holiday… now."

The friends continued to talk and enjoy their time until the warning bell rang. Lancer had been on Lunch watch that day and had almost stepped in when Dash and Danny had raised their voices at each other, but had decided against it. Recently it had seemed that Dash was not as keen on being as physical with Danny and the teacher wasn't sure why. He was glad for it though, since he'd always been suspicious of Dash's explanations of altercations he'd been blamed for in the past. There was often never any proof to support either the bullies' stories or the victims' tales and the school board was often telling the faculty to try and refrain from getting the jocks in _too_ much trouble. Casper didn't have many sports teams and the school didn't want to loose attendance to the games and events due to poor performance without its best players present. The situation at Casper really was a crying shame and Lancer was often disturbed by it, which is why sometime during Danny's Sophomore year, he'd started trying to act more outwardly approachable. Perhaps he couldn't stop the bullying, but he could be there as a shoulder to lean on so to speak.

What was really on Lancer's mind at the moment though was Danny's new young sister. She certainly did look like she was from the family or at least related, though she did have an eery resemblance to Danny in particular. What was really peculiar to Lancer though was that Danny Phantom's cousin had come into town as well according to the news and gossip. Her name was also Dani, spelled with an I. It hadn't been much to think Danny Fenton and Danny Phantom both were named Danny, but it was a strange coincidence that Dani Fenton and Dani Phantom shared the same name as well. What sort of connection was there between the Phantoms and the Fentons? It was really the first time Lancer had thought there was some kind of connection between the living and dead teens other then seeing Tucker and Sam help Phantom at times. He had mostly chalked that up to teens helping the town hero because he was popular. Lancer thought all of these things through, though his train of thought never even went down the road that the Fentons and Phantoms could be one and the same. On the flip side, he did start to wonder if the connection he was theorizing about had something to do with why Danny's behavior had changed way back in Freshman year. The possible connection was just another mystery the teacher swore to figure out.

zzz

Dani ran through the halls to get her things for last class. As she turned a corner to get to her locker, she almost bumped into a young man with a head of white hair.

"Whoa, Danny! What are you doing here?" She spouted before even looking more carefully.

"Danny? Uh, my name's Ashton, but Ash is fine."

Dani looked up and blinked in confusion. Indeed, the young man wasn't Danny in Phantom form. He was only a half a head taller than her and would reach Danny's chin with his height. He had hazel eyes, an army green t-shirt with a black stripe at the bottom of it, jeans, and brown sneakers, but the thing that was hard to not look at was his white hair.

He shifted nervously under her gaze. He knew what she was looking at. He sighed. "Yes it's my natural hair color. I used to have really nice dark brown hair, but I have achromotrichia. My hair started to grey when I was ten."

Dani looked at his face and smiled. "It's like snow, pure snow."

Ash's face seemed surprised. "You don't think I look like an old man or that I'm trying to copy Danny Phantom or something?"

Dani had to hold back a giggle at the thought of someone trying to pose as her brother. "No, I trust you. If you say you have ache-motrsha-"

"Achromotrichia."

"Right, that, then I believe ya. Besides, white hair's pretty unique."

Ash grinned. "You never told me your name."

"Danielle, but everyone calls me Dani with an I."

Ash opened his mouth to speak when the final bell rang. Both kids whipped their heads around.

"Dang it! I'm going to be late!" They yelled out at the same time and started to run. After a moment they realized they were running the same way.

"You have English with Mrs. Bethany?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yep, sweet."

The two students made their way to class and weren't late enough to get a detention, especially since Dani allowed Ash to say he was showing the new student around. They sat down next to each other for class.

It was halfway through class that Dani felt a cold breath of air fly from her throat. She glanced out the window and saw Danny fly past after getting blasted by… a missile from Skulker. Mrs. Bethany and the students all gasped as she ushered them away. The new ghost alarms for the school, started to blare. After all the ghost activity around the school the last few years and especially after the strange accounts from the campers and people that went to Eerie, though most said their memories were simply nightmares, the school board had decided to commission the Fentons to set up a ghost alarm system in the school. It had been completed over the winter break. Maddie and Jack had been unable to have the alarm not trip from Danny or Dani's ecto-signatures; the good news was that it only tripped for them when they transformed into their ghost forms. Dani didn't get the chance to slip away before everyone from Casper High and Casper Junior High was herded into the gym. She spotted Sam, Tucker, and Valerie talking to each other quietly. Dani jogged over to them and Ash followed cautiously behind.

"Sam!" Dani called out.

Sam and the others looked over and saw Dani jogging towards them with a stranger behind her.

"What happened?" Dani asked. She saw Sam glance behind her and Dani turned to see Ash standing there awkwardly.

"Uh, sorry. Do you want me to go?" Ash asked.

Dani bit her lip and looked around. "I uh, need to go to the little girl's room. Stay with them. I'll be back soon." She then darted off.

"But they won't let you!" Ash called out and scratched his head.

"She's pretty good at sneaking by," Sam spoke up.

Ash turned and looked at the three people he had been left with. "How does she know you guys aways?"

"We're her big brother's friends." Tucker answered as he typed on his PDA, unbeknownst to Ash, trying to hack into Skulker's mainframe. Valerie was watching him work closely.

"Oh. Where is he?"

Tucker stuttered. "He uh also went to the bathroom?"

Sam facepalmed.

"But there are ghosts out there!"

"Phantom's got this. The school does this so they won't get sued or something." Sam expressed.

Tucker looked up from his PDA after cursing and whispering something to Valerie. He turned back to Ash, changing his demeanor from frustrated to mischievous.

"So, you showing Dani around the school? Why's that?"

Ash cocked his head. "Uh, well she didn't make fun of my hair, so that's a plus."

"I mean… no other reason?" Tucker asked.

Sam glanced over at Tucker in suspicion while Valerie did the same.

"What do you…" Ash's cheeks suddenly got pink. "Wait! No, you've got the wrong idea!"

Valerie rolled her eyes and pulled Tucker's beret down over the techno geek's eyes.

"Ignore him." Sam grumbled before glancing out the window of the gym, where the sky was showing, with slight worry.

zzz

Dani phased out of the girl's bathroom to get outside of the school, only to see Danny locked hand to hand with Skulker in midair.

"This is much better Ghost Child. _This_ is a thrilling hunt!"

"Geez, can't you make up your mind, Skulker?" Danny snapped back.

Dani grunted and shot forward, slinging an ecto-disc of energy at Skulker. He shouted in pain and shoved Danny away, to turn and see who'd attacked.

"Who dares interfere with Skulker during the hunt?"

"I do, bonehead!" Dani retorted. Skulker saw her floating in front of him with her white hair drifting slightly and her eyes and fists glowing green.

"Your that clone. The clone Plasmius made. So there are three halfas. I guess that means I need to collect every one of you, eventually." Skulker finished with a predatory smile.

"Over my dead body!" Danny growled.

Skulker smirked. "Isn't that the point?"

Skulker aimed one arm at Danny and one at Dani and fired two separate rockets. They darted away to dodge the rockets, only for them to follow.

_Dani!_

_Whoa, Danny is that you?_

_Yeah, listen. We need to fly at each other._

_Are you nuts? We'll blow each other both to smithereens!_

_Not if we turn at the same time._

_Oh playing chicken with rockets?_

_Yep._

_Gotcha, let's go!_

Danny shut off the communication and spun to start flying towards Dani as she did the same. At the last minute, Danny banked left and Dani banked right and the rockets crashed into each other. Dani yelped when a bit of shrapnel cut through the back of her thigh. Skulker reacted quickly to her distress and fired a net at her. She screamed when it wrapped around her and she started to fall.

During this time, Dash and most of the other kids in Casper had opened the gym doors to the outside to watch the battle, despite all the teachers trying to stop them. Both students and teachers were distracted from their struggle when the new Phantom girl started to fall.

Before Dani had been hit, the Fentons had pulled up in their RV; Jazz was with them since her break from collage wasn't quite over. Unfortunately, the Guys in White also pulled up and reacted quicker than the Fentons.

"Just as we thought. Phantom! Stand down, you wicked monster!" Agent K shouted and shot a gun at Danny. Two tethers of ghost-proof rope wrapped around his wrists and yanked him to the ground. Dani hit the earth moments after.

"You take care of entity number two, Agent O," Agent K spoke.

"Understood." Agent O walked forward and pointed a different kind of weapon at Dani. She was groaning and just snapping out of her daze from the fall. She saw the gun pointed at her and panicked. She started crawling backwards, away from the Agent the best she could with the net still around her, but flinched in pain when some ectoplasm poured from the wound on her leg.

"Stay away from my cousin!" Danny shouted and pulled against the bindings, making Agent K use all his strength to restrain him. Ultimately he had to use a certain retractable spear modification to also anchor the gun into the ground to pull against Danny and his tethers.

Skulker was a bit aggravated and unnerved by the Agents' intrusion but continued at a distance to try and hunt, though he wasn't happy with the Agents 'aiding' his endeavors, even indirectly so.

"Stop struggling, ghost!" Agent K growled.

Danny could hear the other weapon Agent O had charging up. His other family had decided to intervene then, but they'd made the decision a bit too late and Danny knew it. He screamed in pain when Skulker's electro-dart found itself in his right shoulder blade. Electricity rippled across his body and he caught another glimpse of Dani and Agent O out of the corner of his eye. The clone and her origin's eyes locked for a single heartbeat.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks when Danny's screaming turned into a furious howl of rage. His eyes slowly started to turn red in the irises with threads of crimson reaching towards the pupils, his canines became slightly more pointed but not larger, his hair started to become less material and almost flame like, though keeping the same shape, and the white parts of his HAZMAT suit started to dim in brightness and almost fade to a darker grey. The bindings on his wrists snapped and the dart in his back exploded and fell out. Skulker realized he needed to leave since everything had gone south for his chance at a fair hunt and so he darted off using his jetpack. The Ghost boy in that state wouldn't be a challenge, hunt wise; it would go against his desire to hunt more human like entities with higher intellect. The Ghost boy was no better than an animal at the moment. At least earlier he'd gotten Technus to increase the defenses in his robotic body so it was harder for the Foley child to interfere in the future. The day wasn't wasted for him.

Danny shot forward like a rocket, coated in flames. He was in front of the gun aimed at Dani when it fired. It wasn't their best weapon so it merely burned his stomach and the suit there, hardly hurting him. Agent O gasped in surprise and slight fear.

Danny paused and made his irises and pupils grow smaller in anger. A hiss passed by his lips, showing off the forked tongue in his mouth. "Don't come any closer. I'm protecting my cousin. If you threaten her safety… I will attack." Those who knew Phantom was Fenton, flinched at the small wicked smile that came to his face as though he hoped they would actually attack.

"You all are ecto-plasmic scum that must be destroyed." Agent O aimed his weapon at Danny's chest after jumping and backing up a few yards when he'd been surprised by Danny's new appearance.

Danny growled. "Bad mistake." He suddenly split into four copies of himself, two facing Agent O and two facing Agent K, still protectively guarding Dani, who was looking at her wound on her leg now that she had pulled herself out of the net.

The two facing Agent K hissed as one drew on its cold core and the second on it's hot core. They unleashed fire and ice each upon him. Agent K dodged and rolled before running over to take a position by his partner.

The two copies that had been facing Agent K turned and all four Dannys focused on both Agents now.

"Turn back… I'm… warning you." The agents didn't seem to notice Danny's eyes pulsing between majorly red and green branching colors in his irises.

Sam jumped out from the crowd. "You idiots! He's trying to not hurt you! Don't push him more than you have!"

"Seriously guys! He's having trouble NOT hurting you!" Tucker yelled out and grit his teeth.

Agent K completely ignored them both and fired a blast of energy from his newest gun he'd pulled out, which was more powerful. It struck one of the copies, luckily for him, hitting the original. The blast struck Danny's left shoulder and forced him back a step. He howled in pain before he turned back to face the Agents. His suit was torn down to where his heart was, showing a, to most, strangely fleshy colored shoulder and upper chest on that side. Ghosts shouldn't look that human, should they? Danny pulled all his duplicates back to himself as glowing green ectoplasm dripped down his front.

"Once entity one is down, move forward to exterminate the ectoplasmic entity two." Agent K spoke.

"Affirmative." Agent O replied.

Danny snapped. His eyes, even his pupils and sclera, glowed red fully and his once human fingers morphed slightly to look almost like claws. If he had been in control, he would've felt the access to his cold core get blocked off temporarily in this state. He launched himself at the Agents with an animalistic fury, ignoring any threat that could come to his human side should he be struck while heading towards them.

What everyone heard in their minds at that moment, no one would dare mention aloud. Whispers of a young man's voice, to most there, sounding familiar and to only a few knowing why that was.

_DEstRoy… HuRT… HAtE Me. WhY? HeLp. PAiN. CoUSiN… FriENdS. HOmE… AmITy… HuMAn… GHOst… PleASe dOn'T hATe mE…_

At the last moment, Dani gave a cry of pain and effort and launched herself from the ground, locking her arms around Danny's arms and chest. Fortunately, she was able to knock him down, dodging the blasts that flew past where he'd been.

"Stop! Danny please stop!" Dani cried out. "You'll hate yourself if you hurt them, don't! Cool down! Don't let your hot core burn out of control!"

Danny thrashed under her as the Agents patiently waited for their guns to charge back up. Dani was having to use every ounce of her strength to hold him even if she could only do it for a few more moments. Then she felt it. A rumbling in his chest almost more like a vibrating chord of a guitar. He was glaring at the agents and she felt him take a deep breath.

"MOVE!" Dani shouted as loud as she could.

Jack and Maddie went into action immediately and yanked the Agents out of the line of fire. They and Sam and Tucker shouted for everyone to cover their ears as Danny's Ghostly Wail burst from his lungs and started echoing in the air, filling the area around them with a sad, sorrowful and angry sound. The concrete where the agents had been, broke and buckled and several windows in the buildings nearby shattered. Some people started to cry due to the emotion in the attack while others were grinding their teeth in pain. When the sounds quieted down and the attack slowly ended, Danny was still trying to break out of Dani's grasp. Then a moment of quiet later, everyone started to get up or out from behind their hiding places. Danny stopped moving and let out a large exhale and some swore they heard a whimper. His hair became more tangible and his canines were no longer prominent; his tongue, suit and fingers slowly morphed back to normal. He opened his green eyes and immediately saw the destruction in front of him.

"Don't worry you didn't hurt anyone. I didn't let cha cuz." Dani was sitting behind him.

Danny looked at her and then glanced at the ground now that he was standing on. He glanced around at the busted windows, broken concrete and fear in peoples' faces. Finally, he looked up at everyone who was staring at him. The agents were getting up and trying to dust off their white suits. "I'm sorry…" He seemed to almost tear up before he then faded from sight. They saw Dani sigh sadly and fade from view as well.

Agent K spoke into his communicator. "Assignment, failed. Returning to base."

Maddie Fenton was staring at the two men with a very uncommon scowl on her face. She couldn't stop thinking how these two men had pushed her boy so far as to loose control for a bit. Skulker had started it, but the ghost had been wise enough to back off, while these men hadn't. It was almost like they were looking for trouble.

Both parents were also looking at the destruction that their son's Wail had caused. They'd seen it a few times since they'd learned his secret, but only in the Ghost Zone. To see it used on human materials and see the destruction afterwards... was different.

The agents soon drove away in their own vehicle, leaving Amity to clean up the mess they'd indirectly caused.

zzz

Danny and Dani had come back for the last five minutes of the last class of the day. They hadn't missed much since there was only ten minutes left after the ghost attack. Danny had given Dani something to wrap her leg wound with until they could get home and he'd dressed his shoulder and stomach.

Dani got to say goodbye to Ash for the day before following Danny and his friends to get home. Danny was very silent, while Sam was trying to comfort him about his outburst. It turned out that with the low amount of ghost issues, he hadn't been meditating much because he hadn't been stressed. He'd fed his hot core with rage like Hakan had warned against. From that day on, Danny swore to keep on the ball about his meditating.

Danny and Dani split up from Danny's friends to go home after that and Danny was surprised at how calm his parents were about seeing him like he'd been. Jack smiled sadly at his son and Maddie kept hugging him and telling him he'd done nothing wrong. They both smiled when they learned there was something he could do to minimize the chance of that happening again. Danny and Dani both got their wounds treated better before the family settled down for dinner.

Dani fell asleep before her head hit the pillow that night. What a tiring first day of school.

zzz

**Danny's birthday. The Mall.**

Danny's birthday had finally rolled around. He was lucky to have it fall on a Saturday so he invited his friends to hang out at the Mall and mess around in the arcade and food court. Dani, Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Mikey, Brandon, Norman, and Lester ended up coming and the group went about talking and playing different games in the arcade.

At the moment, practically everyone was watching a match of Zombie Fighter Five happen between Danny and Sam. The others were shouting and encouraging them both until Sam was able to squeak by and land the last hit.

"Ah man!" Danny exclaimed and Sam cheered in victory. Danny laughed and grinned at Sam. "How is it that you manage to do everything so well?"

Sam smirked, trying to hide the slight blush that came to her cheeks. "I have my ways."

The crew eventually took a break from the arcade and had something to eat in the food court. Danny received his presents from his friends and sister while they were there which consisted mostly of some video games and CDs. It was there though that things took a turn for the worst, because Dash, Kwan, Paulina, Star, Megan, Tyson, and Alroy all were walking about the Mall and spotted Danny and his friends from a floor above.

"Hey look, Dash. It's Fenton," Alroy spoke up and everyone looked over the railing.

"Tch, what are all the geeks and nerds doing together, having a convention?" Megan asked.

Kwan perked up. "Wait, isn't today Fenton's birthday?"

Dash snapped his head over to look at Kwan as a cruel smile crept onto his face. "Oh this is perfect. This is my chance."

"What is it, man?" Tyson asked.

"What better day to get revenge on a dude, than the guy's birthday when all his friends are there?" Dash questioned.

Paulina smiled. She looked down at her nails. "Do it. Whatever it takes."

Megan smiled and the jocks all grinned at each other. Star was staring down at Danny and the others with a frown on her face. Kwan glanced over and saw her and wasn't grinning anymore.

"Okay, huddle up guys, here's the plan." Dash motioned and all four jocks huddled together and the girls found seats to watch whatever was to come.

Danny and his friends were walking past the fountain when it happened. Oh if only Danny had a human sense too.

"Wait wait, now you're saying the turkey came to life?" Mikey asked. Brandon's eyes were wide in awe while Mikey and Norman seemed more skeptical.

"It kinda happens a lot with all the ectoplasm my parents work with. Dad kinda forgets which things go in which fridge. It's fine though, I-" Whatever Danny was going to say was cut off as Dash suddenly jumped out from beside the fountain and wrapped both his arms around Danny's arms and chest, crushing him and keeping him from moving. Danny's group halted in shock.

Kwan snatched a nearby bucket that a Janitor had been in the middle of using and tossed it to Tyson who flipped it and slammed it over Danny's head, spilling filthy water all over him. Dash then squatted quickly and pantsed Danny before shoving him towards the fountain. Alroy was there and held out his leg causing Danny to trip over it and face plant into the water.

The bucket came off as Danny resurfaced. Dash grabbed the back of his head by his hair.

"Told you, you'd regret it, Fenton!" Dash then laughed and kicked Danny in the back, forcing him to dunk into the water a second time. The jocks then walked off laughing. It wasn't until they were gone and Danny had stumbled out of the fountain, with blood pouring from his nose that the others were able to snap from their shock.

Sam rushed forward as Danny finished pulling up his wet jeans. "Danny, God! Are you okay?"

Danny tried to wipe under his nose and noticed he was bleeding there. It must've happened when his nose had slammed into the bucket and the floor of the fountain. He glanced up at Sam with a slightly irritated look on his face.

"Sorry, standard question." Sam reached him and pulled a hanky from her spider bag.

"Sham, I myghht get youwr hanky dwirty." Danny mumbled out with his injured nose.

"Danny it's fine."

Danny nodded and started to try and stop the blood.

"They're barbarians is what they are." Norman muttered.

"I cannot believe this!" Valerie cried out in anger.

Tucker was standing at Danny's other side. "Sorry I didn't film it or anything, dude."

Brandon was glancing at the ground with slight shame, thinking that Dash had become so much harder on Danny because of him. Mikey was shaking his head sadly and Lester was frowning.

"Hey where's Dani?" Valerie asked suddenly.

Danny looked up from the hanky and scanned the area, making some blood ooze out of his nose again. "Dani? Swhit. She's gowing to follow thewm."

Tucker rose his eyebrow in amusement. "Now that, I wish I could record."

Valerie shook her head. "I'll go get her. Sam you make him sit. He'll be dizzy from a nose bleed like that."

She walked off as the rest sat down to help Danny, who was still dirty, wet, and bleeding. The old Janitor walked up, the only random bystander that hadn't moved on or had the courage in the first place to even do or say anything.

"Are you alright, son? That was a nasty trick those boys pulled."

Danny glanced up at the man and nodded. His nose wasn't as clogged anymore since his enhanced healing had started to work. "More of a damaged pride than anything."

The Janitor smiled and looked at Sam. "You've got one with good character here missy."

Sam squeezed Danny's arm to make him looked down at her. "I know."

zzz

Dani slunk through the people passing her by. She was sneakily trying to chase after Dash and his goons and do… well she wasn't sure, but something. She saw them meet up with a few girls and two of them actually laughed about Danny's experience. They had been watching it like a funny cartoon!

Dani growled from where she was watching them, behind a planter. She started thinking about what she could do for pay back when a hand rested on her shoulder.

"Danny wants you. Leave them be. They really aren't worth it. They've never done something like this, but still come back to Danny. He needs you. Don't give _them_ your time." Dani watched the jocks and girls walk away and turned to glare up at Valerie's face.

"So we do nothing? That's not fair!" Dani snapped.

Valerie frowned. "No. It's not."

"Who's side are you on!? You should be helping me!"

Valerie's face turned angry. "Don't you think I want to? If I could, I'd beat every one of their butts into next Tuesday!" She relaxed. "But I've realized, mostly through Danny and his close friends that things aren't only about revenge… or settling a score. We have responsibilities that are more important than getting back at those jerks."

Dani frowned and slowly nodded. She then took off running back towards Danny with Valerie walking quickly behind. Danny almost didn't get to react when Dani hugged him tight.

"Nice job." Tucker spoke to Valerie. She glanced at him and smiled, before he grabbed her hand gently. The action actually caused Valerie to blush which in turn made Tucker's cheeks, pink. Sam glanced over at Tucker with a teasing smirk on her face and he scowled at her. Lester was glancing over at Valerie and Tucker with a small frown on his face. It had been rumored that Tucker and Valerie had been more chummy than normal and now Lester could see it was true.

"You're okay, right Danny?" Dani mumbled into Danny's shoulder.

He paused and placed a hand on her back and rubbed it. "Yeah, Dani. I'm just fine. I don't get as mad about it like I used to."

"You just tell me if you want me to kick their butts." Danny chuckled at her.

"I'll keep that in mind, sis."

The group of teens started on their way home then. The sun was already down when Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Dani walked inside FentonWorks. Maddie came to the door with a smile on her face but halted when she saw how damp Danny still was and the dried bits of blood under his nose.

"Danny!" Maddie cried out and move forward. "What happened, sweetheart?"

"Dash happened!" Dani growled out she shook her head and ran past Maddie to get up to her room.

"Is Dani okay?" Jazz asked, popping her head out of the kitchen. She saw Danny then. "Danny! What ghost was it this time?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Dash is no ghost, but I'm starting to wonder if he's human." Sam smirked. Danny looked at his sister and mother. "Dani's just dealing with the idea that she can't go beat him up for me. She's never had to control herself like this before."

Maddie nodded and ushered Danny closer. She then nodded to Sam and Tucker. "Be safe walking home you two. Thanks for being such good friends to my boy, actually, to all my kids."

Danny rolled his eyes but smiled against his will, while Sam and Tucker say goodbye and left.

"Danny, how long has Dash been bullying you?" Maddie asked quietly.

"Since I think middle school, why?"

"Haven't you ever said something to your teachers?"

"Yeah, but Dash is their star quarterback, they won't do anything to him unless he like broke my leg or something. Besides it's pretty much impossible for him to hurt me anymore."

Jazz stepped closer. "Physically, yes, mentally? He can still hurt you Danny."

Danny laughed a bit bitterly and shook his head. "Mental attacks? Dash doesn't have a clue about what that kind of… pain is like."

Jazz sat on the other side of Danny once he was seated on the couch, while Maddie got up to go and get something to wipe Danny's face with.

She took a deep breath before she spoke. "Danny, is there something you're still not telling us? Something that's a real battle your in the midst of."

Danny paused and looked up at her before he shook his head slowly.

"We… we heard it you know?"

Danny stiffened. "Heard… what?"

"When you lost control the other day. I think the inhibitions of your telepathic powers wore down. I'm pretty certain everyone could hear your thoughts. You didn't reveal anything about Fenton… just that Phantom has a lot of stuff on his mind."

Danny quivered slightly and as his mother returned from the kitchen and reached to help wipe his face. Danny flinched away, going intangible at the same time. He got up, went invisible too and spoke. "I'm just going to take a shower, thanks anyways, mom."

After a moment, he was gone.

"What do you think is bothering him, Jazz?" Maddie asked.

Jazz shook her head. "Something bad. He's pretty open with Sam and Tucker and even they didn't have a clue when I asked them not too long ago. But my best guess is it has something to do with Dan Phantom. I don't know what though… He didn't see himself when he lost control so he wouldn't know that he _almost_ looked…"

Maddie noticed her eldest daughter pause. The mother asked Jazz something she'd been wondering. "Jazz?"

"Yeah mom?"

"Has Danny ever looked like that before? You know... the red eyes... the claws and tongue?" Maddie subconsciously rubbed her hands together. She wouldn't tell her son that his appearance had scared her, since she and Jack had wanted to do anything they could to not push Danny away ever again.

"Actually... I don't think so. Maybe it has something to do with his hot core being built upon..."

"Hakan told him that rage can do that, right?"

"Recently, I guess Danny's been mostly balanced emotionally... other than being stressed about protecting everyone and being a teenager at the same time. Telling you guys helped him a lot. Meditation can help like Hakan mentioned..." Jazz frowned in thought and Maddie could practically see the gears turning in her daughter's head.

"Jazz?"

"Mmmm... maybe..." Jazz glanced up at her mother. "Clockwork told Danny that he can still turn evil, just like anyone. Maybe... that's what Danny would become, what he'd look like, if he fed into his anger for too long. My theory is that ghosts are very similar to humans emotionally, but because they actually are partially formed from the energy that make up emotions, they actually visually change based on the emotions they fuel themselves with. Some can change form quickly using this kind of manipulation, while others do it slowly over time or spontaneously."

Maddie smiled brightly at her daughter's deductive abilities. "That is certainly an interesting theory and it makes sense."

Jazz smiled slightly and nodded. "I mean I'm studying psychology so I have to contemplate these kinds of things in regards to ghosts and humans both. It's funny. The more I've learned about ghosts through Danny and experience the less different they really seem from humans. They're anatomy is quite different, minus Halfas, but in almost every other way, they mirror humans and actually blatantly show truths about mankind itself and the way we treat each other. It spirals into a vastly complicated ethical talk." Jazz flinched and laughed nervously. "I'm babbling aren't I?"

"That's fine sweetie. I mean I'm certain me and your father have done more than our fair share." Maddie smiled and placed her hand on Jazz's. She paused and realized something. "Jazz?"

"What mom?"

"What does Dan Phantom even look like? I don't think Danny told me and your father."

Jazz perked up in surprise. "Really?" She furrowed her brows in thought. "Why would he not mention that? It would be kinda important if _somehow_ he escaped or something. He's a very dangerous ghost."

Maddie frowned. "How odd."

Jazz sighed and glanced at her mom. "I think that might be a clue behind what's bothering him. He's knows he lost control. Maybe... for some reason... he hasn't been fully honest with us about Dan."

"Why not?"

"I don't know for sure. Just the fact that he didn't mention to you what Dan looked like. I'm sensing a bit of shame from those actions. He still feels responsible. He feels guilt."

"Should we sit him down? Should we try and help him talk it out?"

Jazz ran a hand through her hair. "At this point it could be risky. His psyche would either cause him to break down and tell us or he might isolate himself further if he decides in his mind that there's some fear or distrust coming from us. It would probably be best to wait some. Maybe... with time, he'll tell us. Only if it gets really bad should we try and fully intervene."

"I don't like waiting around while my baby boy is hurting inside at all."

"I know mom. I know."

Maddie patted her daughter on the shoulder and the two sat in silence after that.

zzz

Danny was sitting on his bed, rubbing his head dry with a towel. He'd just gotten cleaned up and his nose was still a bit sore. He tossed the towel into his hamper and laid on his bed. A wisp of cold air came from his mouth and he tensed before transforming and looking around. He knew his parents had deactivated the ghost monitors in the house until they could figure out a way to filter out his and Dani's signature when they transformed in Fenton Works.

"Danny?"

Danny looked around and found himself face to face with Sidney Poindexter.

"Sydney? Why are you here?" Danny then asked suspiciously. He was surprised to see Sidney look down sadly. "Oh, well."

"Ah ha!"

"Oof!"

Danny blinked when he saw Dani on top of Sidney in her Phantom form.

"I got him Danny! Get the thermos!"

Danny picked up his sister carefully by the back of her suit. "Let's see what he has to say first. You interrupted him, sis."

Dani blinked. "Oh oops."

Sidney glanced between the two Phantoms before he sighed and sat up.

"I saw what those kids did to you, Danny. You were right, they were the bullies. I didn't realize…"

Danny smiled sadly and shook his head. "It… it doesn't matter. I don't need to fight back anymore. I've forgotten all those feelings of needing those people to like me or something. A bloody nose doesn't hurt."

Dani frowned. "Dash needs to get a another hobby instead of continuing to torture you! It's not fair. You may be a hero but hero's can hurt too, bro!"

Danny smirked and rubbed his sister's hair on her head. "I'm not so sure anymore. Sidney was right to punish me then… I don't want to be the kind of person, not now, not ever. I don't want to be that monster that protected you the other day."

Dani growled and grabbed the front of Danny's suit. "Shut up! You're not a monster! A monster wouldn't have protected me. A monster would've killed those agents and laughed, not warned them several times to go away. A monster's roar isn't filled with sorrow, fear, and so little anger! Danny you're a hero. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. Period."

Danny hugged Dani close. "And I would've killed them trying to keep you safe. Period. So thank you so much sis."

Sidney frowned. "You've been even protecting your own bullies."

Danny looked Poindexter in the eyes. "Yeah, you just kinda caught me on an off day."

Sidney nodded. "Well that's why I came. I suppose wanted to say I was sorry. I was also wanting to extend-"

"GHOST! Don't worry kids, daddy's coming!"

Jack burst through Danny's door with Maddie right behind him. "We heard a couple yells, are you kids okay?"

"Gotcha, spook!" Jack barked and pointed a bazooka at Sydney.

"Wait dad!" Danny yelped and jumped in front of Sydney. Sydney's eyes widened both from Danny's act to protect him and also when Jack started to lower his gun.

"A friend, Danno?"

Danny smirked. "Now he is." He glanced over his shoulder at Sydney, who smiled.

"Hot dog! Absotively-posolutely! You're parents know that your the-?"

"The Halfa, yeah. They know about Dani too, hence- me calling her sis."

Sydney sighed. "Phew now maybe we can try and be more civilized, hm?"

Danny looked at Sydney with a deadpan look on his face.

"Well a good portion of us at least."

"My parents are learning who in the Zone is decent and who can barely be reasoned with."

"I see. That's very good. People with any speck of intelligence can show compassion and understanding." Sydney hurumphed.

"By the way Sydney. I'm sorry for what you suffered through in your life."

Sydney blinked and slowly, he answered. "Really, ya mean it?"

Danny nodded. "Over time, I've just started to see more and more how pointless violence and pettiness are. So yeah, I'm sorry."

Sydney smiled and nodded solemnly. "Thanks, Danny. I'm sorry for the painful death you suffered or half death, or whatever you call it."

Danny blinked. "Oh uh thanks."

"Being killed by a ghost must've been rough and part of why you stopped us so much from haunting Amity, right?"

Danny shook his head. "Death by ghost? What do you mean?"

Sydney cocked his head in confusion. "Usually most ghosts only have rumors to go on about how a ghost died. Walker has official records for each ghost's end. It's against the rules to use the methods of a ghost's death against them. Most all ghost follow that rule, only the most malicious don't."

"That's not how I uh… died? I was shocked by the portal in my basement Sydney. I died from electrocution."

"No way." Sydney glanced away. "But that means…"

"What?"

"Walker broke his own rule then! Ha! He's going to be so PO'd!"

Danny's eyes widened. "Say what?"

"He's been avoiding using ecto energy on you, thinking the original rumors about your demise were true, you know dying from a ghost! He has no idea that he's been electrocuting a ghost that died from electrocution! It's against the rules! Even his rules!" Sydney shook his head. "He should've talked to the Observants to get proper records, but with how he's been somewhat bending the rules the last century, he didn't want to see the Observants and the Observants have been sort of shifty the last few decades. I guess since Plasmius showed up, so they didn't bother Walker. It's a weird sort of tango between the two, kinda like when you and Plasmius where promising to keep each other's secret."

"Wow." Danny frowned. "I knew the Observants were annoying and tended to prefer the easy way out of things, but I didn't know they were willing to let Walker's actions slide."

"Corruption is a phenomenon that exists in both our worlds as shameful of a truth as that is. Anywhos! Use that little bit of info to throw Walker off at the very least a minute or two; it could mean the difference between freedom and Judgement. I certainly don't want to see you at the ghostly gallows."

"Whoa wait, what's the ghostly gallows?" Dani asked and looked at her older brother.

Danny's face darkened slightly. "It's a hangman's noose that works on ghosts. It ends their time in this plane of existence and sends them to judgement immediately. At least that's what I've heard."

"Walker's pride and joy, sick one he is." Sydney mumbled. "The only other object in the ghost zone with that kind of power is the Scythe of the Reaper himself."

Jack and Maddie paled slightly and Maddie spoke. "Do you mean the Grim Reaper? As in _the_ Grim Reaper?"

Danny rubbed the back of his head. "I've never met him-"

"Most haven't. They say he doesn't speak. No one knows his face, or what's under his cloak. However most simply call him Reaper since the rumors say he doesn't like being called Grim."

"Clockwork says that he has spared people of their suffering so he's not always bringing despair with the death he brings. I think Clockwork had his Scythe for a while for some reason." Danny added and scratched his cheek.

"I've got to skedattle. It was nice talking things through, Danny and uh Dani… oh and Mr. and Mrs. Fenton." Sydney nodded and adjusted his glasses kindly. "I think you can count me and the rest of my crew from the fifties area to be your allies, maybe only a few don't like halvas and would leave us."

"Why hate a halfa?" Dani asked.

"Some ghosts feel cheated that halfas have both a human life as well as the power that comes with being a ghost. Usually it's a trade at death, not a chance to get all the above."

"Oh," Dani answered and shuffled her feet in slight awkwardness.

"Later gators!" Sydney smiled and then slipped through the floor to no doubt head back towards the portal in the basement.

The four Fentons blinked and then sighed almost in unison.

"Hey where's Jazz?" Danny asked suddenly.

Maddie smiled. "She's getting some last minute things from the store. She's heading back to college in the morning."

"Oh, what time is she leaving? I wanna make sure to say bye." Danny replied.

"Oh me too, me too!" Dani shouted.

"Jack smiled and hugged his wife from the side as Maddie spoke. "Tomorrow about an hour before you two normally wake up for school."

Danny nodded. "Alright, I guess I'm heading to bed then."

Dani smiled and started walking to exit the door to Danny's room before their parents. "Unless a ghost shows up."

"Right."

Jack grinned. "Make sure you two tell us!"

With that, the Fentons went to bed... except one. Danny Fenton sat quietly on his bed, after his family had left his room, with his eyes glowing green before closing them and starting to meditate.

* * *

**So what did you think of Dani's first day of school? Oh and Ash, what did you think of Ash? I just kinda feel Dani needs to have at least one friend her age. Also what do you think about Dani meeting one other friend eventually? Is one friend her age enough? I'm thinking about not including the other person I made... idk. I DO NOT want to add too many OCs to the story (other than the unnamed students of Casper High when the field trip comes around) (P.S. I wasn't trying to reference Ash from my Pokemon stories, but once I'd decided Ash's appearance as an OC in this story and even him having white hair... I thought the name Ash would be cool.)**

**zzzz**

**Answers to Questions:**

**white tiger freak: Could you explian how malus and dan come into play though?**

**NoSignal: I can't yet. Eventually they will come into play.**

* * *

**alwaysALOHA: P.S. Isn't Sam's neighborhood Eidolon Hills?**

**NoSignal: I'm not sure. I checked Sam Manson on the Wiki for the show and it didn't list anything to do with her neighborhood's name.**

* * *

**Great: PS Hey, I was wondering, do you have any good (finished) DP stories that are after Planet Phantom or where Maddie and Jack had known since the beginning that Danny was half-ghost?**

**NoSignal: Do you mean from me? Or one's I would recommend? If you mean recommendations, then I'd say some of my favorites are Infinite Potential (and it's sequel) and Return of Dani Phantom (and it's sequel). The later two are a tiny bit more Dani-centric, but Danny is pretty prominent. I haven't read really any good stories (or at least ones I liked, where Danny's parents knew from the beginning about his secret, however there is one called Shift that's being published. The other four are after Phantom Planet and are all complete, but Shift isn't. As for me? This is my one and only DP story. Once I finish this one or my Pokemon Stories, I might think up a new one... not sure. I'm kinda trying to hold off on Legend of Zelda stuff until after the new Wii U Zelda comes out. My plan right now is this:**

**Master Challenge and DP story**

**then Sequel drabbles to Master Challenge and probably Prequel**

**Another DP story if I need to buy time until the Wii U Zelda comes out then A Legend of Zelda story **

**Then I guess Mystery Dungeon would come next**

**Then finally My pokemon anime rewrite**

**{Probably breaks in between a lot of these, especially after Master Challenge and this DP story are done.}**

**Okay sorry if I rambled, moving on (oh and I hope I answered your question!)**

* * *

**Guest: If you could be any animal on Earth, which one would it be and why?**

**NoSignal: Hmmm what is with the animal questions, lol? Um... I guess maybe a horse or deer? idk. Most likely some kind of herbivore though. I'd think it'd be easier to find plants then hope you could take out something running away from you.**

* * *

**seantriana: I wonder why the guy had not commented on the monstrosity on top of the building that might probably tip by the side and probably crush them all? Or maybe he didn't notice? I guess some people tend to not look up while walking (point to self).**

**NoSignal: Eh really it's just another room, even if it is precariously perched :)**

**zzzz**

**Thanks guys for everything! Oh and if some of you read the others reviews there were two or three reviews to which I answered their questions via PM since they were broader topics. If any of you wanted to see my answers to them, PM me or review that you want to know.**

**~NoSignal**


	12. An Imperfection made Perfect

**This is the last chapter before the Field Trip chapters… or Saga… or section… eh whatever you want to call it, begins.**

**For the record (this pertains to the Field Trip) I've decided, through my research, to place Amity park at the very very northern left tip of Indiana (since the wiki says Amity has palm trees... and a lake is water... eh). There are a lot of inconsistencies regarding where Amity Park could actually be, mostly having to do with how many hours/days the characters say they take to get to certain locations or states (Wisconsin, Utah, etc.). So really I can't make everything work, so I went with what the Wiki says "Somewhere in the Midwest, the Northwestern testing referring to the college and not the Northwestern U.S." Check the wiki to see what I mean. So yeah, because they were able to get to Lake Eerie, lol, by school bus. I choose Indiana. **

**I hope that's okay. :) Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sorry for the wait, again, I refused to update this before I updated my pokemon story. Commitments and all.**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_There's no need to be perfect to inspire others. Let people get inspired by how you deal with your imperfections.__" __~ Ziad K. Abdelnour._

zzz

It was the very end of January now. Dani had been doing well in school and had become pretty close friends with Ash and Ash's friend, Jace. Jace was a very well privileged young man, though like Sam, he hid it from everyone. He had impeccable manners, a bit of a stone-faced persona, he was a marvel at using musical instruments of all kinds, and already had been educated in advanced home school classes before coming to Casper Junior high. He had brown hair that was almost always slicked back, hazel almost gold eyes, often wore a blue polo with long khakis and brown loafers. Both Ash and Jace had started hanging out with Danny and his friends as well. They even learned that Brandon and Jace knew each other from band class so all in all the growing group was quite comfortable with each other when they _all_ hung out.

Besides school, Danny hadn't seen Vlad recently at all which was a bit worrisome. Dani had started to get even colder recently as well, needing to wear thicker coats; Normally, like Danny had, she most likely wouldn't have noticed it since it hadn't gotten to the point of turning her blue, but Danny was able to see the signs; her ice powers were coming in soon. Because of this, Danny started to train her more closely.

zzz

**FentonWorks Lab.**

Danny and Dani were in the lab that Saturday morning. They were planning to go hang out with Tucker, Sam and Valerie after while and also work on de-icing the town, but first they were training.

"So… how do I do this?" Dani asked once they were in the middle of the large room and in Phantom form.

"It not as hard as it seems. You feel the power inside and then you let it all out." Danny smiled and formed a snowball in his hand. He then demonstrated a more complex technique and formed a glittering sword.

"That's it?"

"You'll learn more finesse later, but yeah. I know you can do it Dani! I mean you're me and well I did… That's the right logic, right?"

Dani giggled. "Yeah yeah, whatever. Dork."

"You've been hanging out with Sam too much."

"Sam's awesome."

Danny smiled a little goofily. "Yeah she is."

"Danny and Sam sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage-"

"Aw come on Dani, quit it!" Danny growled and stuck out his tongue in annoyance. "How about you try focusing more?"

Dani stuck out her tongue in response as well. "Fine." She closed her eyes and focused hard; she pulled in her arms as she strained. "Grrrrrrrrrr…"

"That's it…"

"Rrrrrr…"

"You're getting there."

"RrrrrrAAaaah!" Dani shouted and pushed out the energy. Ice formed, but that's where order ended and chaos began. Instead of a wave of energy which Danny was ready to block with a hot core heated ecto dome, a few dozen ice spears shot out from the younger Phantom's form and started flying everywhere. Some crashed into the ground and shattered, some ricocheted off tables and broke beakers, many knocked some devices over, and the rest continued to rebound off surfaces, walls, and the like. Dani yelped and started to dodge her own creations.

"Dani, over here!"

Dani glanced up and saw Danny surrounded in a shield. She watched as one of the spears struck his shield and pretty much melted on contact. She yelped after dodging one more stray ice piece and dove into the shield. She could feel the heat radiating off her brother once she was this close to him. He bent and held her close while the rest of the spears darted around and finally halted. As Danny took down his shield, his parents ran in, eyes wide.

"Kids, what happened?" Maddie asked hurriedly.

Jack looked around, saw the broken beakers and knocked over inventions and nodded. "Whelp the lab seems fine."

Maddie, Danny, and Dani glanced at each other a rose a brow in confusion. Then again, Jack almost never could tell when the lab looked like a mess.

Danny finally decided to speak up. "Oh well you see. I was trying to teach Dani about using her ice powers. It kinda went nuts. We'll clean up after we're done." Danny smiled and glanced down at Dani and saw she was frowning and still clutching his suit front.

"Oh well okay then. Be careful you two. It's about twelve o' clock, by the way. I know you two were wanting to meet with the others." Maddie nodded and turned to walk back up the steps. Jack grinned and followed her.

"Mads, can I have a cookie?"

"Of course dear."

Danny watched them leave and then looked down again at Dani. "Dani, you okay?"

She let out a disappointed sigh. "Naw… I mean."

"Dani… I think you inherited my inability to lie well, from me."

Dani pouted. "It's worked for you."

"But not _on_ me. Spill."

Dani sighed. "My ice powers are crazy. I'll never get them under control like you have."

Danny frowned and kneeled a bit to look at his sister. "Dani…" She looked into Danny's eyes as he continued. "Don't worry. You will get the hang of it. I promise!"

"How can you promise?"

"Because I'm your brother."

Dani frowned again. "Everything about me is messed up." She gasped when he snatched her chin in his gloved hand, to make her look at him again.

"I don't ever want to hear you say that again, okay? That's not true. You're Dani, not _Danny_. You're your own person and news flash, every existing thing is different from the next. Dani… you like everyone else, are perfectly imperfect."

Dani was in silent awe until Danny dropped his hand. "Danny…"

"Yeah?"

"You really mean that?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

Dani smiled brightly and threw her arms around her brother's neck, standing on her tip toes to do so. "Thank you."

Danny smiled contently and rubbed her back. "Let's clean up and go meet with the others, okay? I bet I can clean my side of the lab quicker!"

Dani grinned wickedly and jumped back from her brother. "You're on!"

zzz

**Amity Park Streets.**

Sam, Tucker and Valerie were on the sidewalk, talking as they watched Danny and Dani melt the snow and ice around town. It was quite suddenly that some of the last bits of ice on the street, broke apart and a tree grew up from beneath the earth. This started happening in several other places down the street and straight through a few buildings.

A stranger that had been watching happily as the Phantoms cleaned up their ice and snow, frowned a bit in surprise and shouted.

"Hey, not to be picky Mr. Phantom, but we don't need trees in the street!" The middle-aged man didn't seem angry however.

Phantom gulped and looked around as a blue mist escaped from his and Dani's mouths. "Uh, that's not me and my cousin's doing."

The other bystanders on the street looked nervously around.

"Ghost Child!"

Danny flinched at the loud roar as Undergrowth burst through the concrete on the street in front of the two Phantoms. A wicked grin split his face. His head glowed a bit as he took a breath and blew yellow sleep spores out of his mouth and into a large storm on the street. Danny and Dani were caught off guard and lost consciousness, plummeting out of the sky while everyone else in the vicinity, collapsed to the ground in slumber.

zzz

She could feel something pulsing and winding around her wrists and ankles… and voices… several voices. After a moment, Dani opened her eyes tiredly and groaned.

"Whoa! Dani Phantom's awake!"

Dani finally looked around and saw everyone that had been near the area where Undergrowth had appeared, tied to many large trees by vines. She was on her own smaller one, with ecto-neutralizing flytraps on her legs and arms.

"This isn't good," Dani spoke and blinked at the others.

One man's face went deadpan at her declaration.

"Wait, were's Danny!?" Sam asked and looked around.

Dani gasped and looked around. "Danny? CUZ! Danny!"

"He was with us… I wonder why…" A young woman mused.

Dani struggled and struggled for a bit before she sagged. "I can't break free and I can't use my ectoblasts."

"I guest we'll have to wait and see if Danny escaped," Valerie spoke up.

Dani frowned and and looked around one more time.

zzz

**FentonWorks Lab.**

Maddie and Jack had been working down in the lab that afternoon. They had seen Danny and Dani off when they said they were going to meet up with Sam, Tucker, and Valerie to start cleaning up the ice and snow Danny had made. Jack was working on the Ghost Gabber and trying to do to it what Danny had suggested. Maddie on the other hand was working on something a bit different. She'd been reading through all of Danny's ghost files and data he'd collected with Sam and Tucker over the years and had learned about Blood Blossoms; the idea… terrified the mother in her.

_Blood Blossoms: An ancient natural ghost weapon. This plant is similar to a rose with purple stems and thorns and red blossoms. The effects they have on ghosts are instantaneous. Physical contact is not NOT required to cause damage. Even the vapor can cause severe pain, physical contact hasn't been tested (And hopefully never will). We preformed one test were we (Or more Sam and Tuck. I stayed far away.) placed a petal in a sample of my blood. The tiny flecks of ectoplasm there turned black and Tucker observed that as soon as all the ectoplasm in the blood was gone, my blood cells started to break down. It seems that it even has effect on other parts of my hybrid body, perhaps because my DNA is saturated in ectoplasm molecules. One final note, If a hybrid is exposed to this deadly plant, they are unable to access their core and thus can't transform to escape the pain. In human form, a hybrid can approach the flowers but begins to get light headed after prolonged exposure to the vapor._

Maddie finished reading her son's notes and internally sighed. Those plants could hurt her son, badly. All sorts of ideas had popped into her mind against her will and various ways he might come in contact with the horticultural horror. It was like making sure your child didn't come near peanut butter if they were allergic to peanuts. The terror of wondering if those cookies happened to have peanuts in them and someone had forgotten to mention…

She could see him wailing on the ground right that moment. Screeching, pleading for someone to help him, tears streaming down his face. She shook her head and the torturous vision was gone. She needed… no. She HAD to make something that could help flush his system if something like that happened. The only problem was that she knew a blood transfusion worked for humans and she knew how to do the same for ectoplasm, but there were a few complications with doing the same for a blood AND ectoplasm mixture. It wasn't like there were many donors either. Dani would be the best bet, but that only worked if Danny was the only one harmed.

Darn it, she had to get back on that mind set. Dani… shrieking crunched in a ball… even destabilizing… She and Jack had been trying to make sure she was stable. All signs pointed to the fact she was, but Maddie still worried.

"Mads, you okay?"

Maddie flinched at the touch of a black gloved hand on her shoulder. She looked to the side to see Jack's face there.

"Of course dear… I was just…" She decided to give her husband a hint about her emotions. Jack could be pretty oblivious, but when it really mattered, he could be very observant. "Have you read Danny's notes about Blood Blossoms?"

Jack's eyebrows rose and then fell in thought. "Yeah, sounds…"

"Horrible?"

"Yeah, pretty gruesome." Jack looked at his wife and saw she was glancing down at the said file. "You want to brainstorm together on a way to keep that from being as much of a threat?"

Maddie couldn't help but smile slightly at Jack's offer. "I think that would be perfect."

Jack grinned and kissed Maddie on the cheek. "Perfect! I get the data and we can start trying to figure out if there's some other way to flush out his system without a donor of some kind. Danny-boy said that he's used pure ectoplasm before as a pick me up, so perhaps ectoplasm isn't as picky on the donor matching aspect."

"We don't know for certain though on a larger scale. A 'snack' per say is one thing. A transfusion is another."

They didn't get to talk much more before they heard a blare from their alarm systems.

"Jack! It's the Ecto-Exodus alarm! It must be some large amount of ecto-energy around town!"

Jack furrowed his brows in determination. "Let's go!" Maddie pulled down her hood after turning on the house's ghost shield and ran off towards the weapons vault. Jack ran off behind her and out the door of the lab, but not before popping back in a snatching the last piece of fudge he'd had on the table.

Almost as soon as they'd grabbed their weapons and opened the front door, they saw the greenery growing over the city.

"Undergrowth." Maddie assessed quickly. "We need to find Danny and the other kids. Undergrowth can regenerate himself, so normal weapons won't do much."

The two parents leapt into the Fenton RV and drove off, their buzz saw attachment carving a way through the urban jungle as they went.

zzz

**Casper High.**

The alarms were blaring at the school. Several nearby families had gathered at Casper to escape the growing vines and foliage that had strung up in Amity. Even some of the faculty had left their homes to hide there, mostly because Casper had a small ghost shield near the outside lunch area. It was a similar size to the one the Fenton RV used. At the moment, Mr. Lancer was noting who was present. Dash and his family, Kwan and his family and Mikey and his family were present that Mr. Lancer was familiar with, everyone else were either caring for elementary aged children or no child at all. It was a small group thankfully since the ghost shield was indeed small too. Also anyone that had lived too far away couldn't get to the school in time. No one had seen any sign of another citizen, save themselves, for a while and the plants kept growing and closing in. Sometimes one would touch the shield and be destroyed, but a few minutes later it would grow back at a saver distance.

"What on earth are we going to do? I sure hope those Fentons are doing _something_ useful," Dash's father spoke up.

"I'm wondering where Phantom is," A young woman added and almost everyone nodded at her.

"All we can really do is sit and wait for assistance of some kind." Lancer pointed out and then glanced around once more at the growing jungle.

It was a few moments later that a large creature formed from some of the plants around the school. Undergrowth towered before them, glaring at the shield as it's occupants screamed in surprise and fear.

"So, trying to shield yourselves from my children? I must say, under normal circumstances… You would be safe until you flesh walkers needed sustenance."

Lancer was feeling brave for some reason. "And what do you mean by normal circumstances?" Lancer somewhat demanded.

"Oh just my new son. I'm… persuading him to join me, you could say. He shall be the perfect caretaker."

Undergrowth caused a pod to rise up from the ground, then it opened and the small group gasped. Inside, Danny, in Phantom form, was tied up with vines and was unconscious.

"I shall give you all the privilege of watching me claim my new son."

"Wait, what!?" Dash blurted.

Undergrowth didn't answer but instead formed a mind vine and in one swift movement, thrust it into the base of Danny's skull. Immediately Danny's green eyes snapped open and a scream tore from his throat.

"Don't struggle, ghost boy. It'll only make the process more painful."

The small group gasped or stood gapping while their town hero thrashed in his bindings, trying to fight the influence of the mind vine.

"Phantom!" Mikey yelped in alarm.

Danny screamed at and even higher pitch after a moment.

"Stop resisting you stubborn child! This time you will not hinder me with your ice core!"

Ice started to coat the pod Danny was in and Undergrowth hissed in pain. He roared and his eyes glowed a more fierce red. Danny let out a final short cut off cry of pain before he stilled.

"Phantom?" A stranger within the group asked. Most everyone present was suddenly quite worried for their hero. Many would admit that they'd become a bit more attached to Phantom's person, not just his heroics, but his personality as well. He may be a ghost in their eyes, but it was hard for many in Amity not to feel concern. Some had been turned off by his rage fueled display against the GiW some time ago, but many saw it as proof that ghosts had emotion and could reversely have self control.

"My son, rise."

They saw Danny's foot twitch before he opened his chlorophyl filled eyes. He drew himself up to his knees, since his arms were still bound with vines. He glanced up at Undergrowth and blinked once.

"Father…"

Undergrowth smiled and cast off the vines from his child. "My son… thy first command is this. Destroy that barrier!"

Danny turned and floated into the air before moving forward a bit. He took a deep breath.

The people in the shield knew what was about to happen since they'd seen and heard about Phantom's Wail before. Some thought they were about to die but all they could do was cover their ears and clutch their loved ones when the powerful and haunting sound waves crashed against the ghost shield making it crack and then shatter to pieces like glass.

zzz

**Axion Labs.**

Sirens were blaring, lights were flashing, people were running. Damon was in battle mode. He was manning the main security outlet and shouting out commands to the other employees. Their defenses were holding, but only barely. This ghost was powerful.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Many of the people in the command center glanced up and saw a vine smash through a window and grab a man by his waist before yanking him out of sight. His screams faded.

"Ecto missile! Launch!" Damon shouted in increasing worry. Some of the other scientist typed rapidly on their computers causing a missile to come up out of the floor and aim out the window. It shot out and blasted something that screeched. It was quiet.

"Mr. Gray, sir? You think it left?" A random scientist asked.

Damon frowned for a moment and went to speak but paused when he heard a car's motor. In a flash, the Fenton RV was partially driven in the side of the building, mostly blocking up the hole the vine had made. Maddie and Jack climbed out of the vehicle.

"Jack dear, I told you to go around and remember, hun. The break is the larger pedal."

"Heh yeah, I knew that."

Damon stepped forward with a sigh. "Jack, Maddie, I'm so glad to see you. Did you see the ghost outside? Is it gone?"

Maddie looked up and shook her head. "There were several large plants and vines outside but the culprit behind this isn't here. The city's overrun with his spawn."

Damon gasped. "The rest of the city!?"

"Undergrowth is the name of the ghost. He's a very powerful and ancient ghost that uses plants. Most weapons won't harm him permanently since he can regenerate. We ran out of power in most of our weapons while scouting the city for anyone. The only place we haven't checked in near City Hall."

"So you came here hoping to find some weapons at least."

"That's right!" Jack added jovially.

Damon nodded and looked at everyone. "I'm going to take the Fentons to the stock room. Watch all the monitors, everyone."

After many nervous nods from the scientists and other employees, Damon walked off with Maddie and Jack. After a few minutes they reached the vault and opened it.

"Some ecto-grenades, ecto-refillable canisters… These will do nicely. Do you happen to have anything similar to a freeze ray?" Maddie asked, "You know, ecto-ice components?"

Damon shook his head. "It never occurred to us to make that kind of weapon."

"Perhaps after this is over we could work together on making some new weaponry."

"How do you know the name of this ghost?" Damon asked suddenly.

Jack and Maddie exchanged a nervous glance. Maddie regained her calm quickly, while Jack did the first thing that came to his mind, speak.

"Oh uh… Danny told us."

Damon paused and rose a brow at the now sweating Jack.

"He means, Phantom, Danny Phantom?" Maddie replied hastily. Damon relaxed and nodded, excepting the excuse.

"Ah I see. So has he really been sharing secrets about his enemies with you? Perhaps he thinks that we could weaken his competition before he got to take over Amity."

Maddie's mouth tugged itself into a frown and a twinge of guilt wrapped around both Fentons' hearts. They knew part of that image of their son's alter ego had come from them.

"Perhaps…" Maddie murmured, keeping up the charade.

Damon shut the door to the vault just as the alarms started to blare again and all three of them heard many screams coming from the laboratory. They started in that direction only to see waves of vines racing through the hall. They turned and bolted the other way.

"Damn it! We've been breached! How'd that happen so quick?"

"Undergrowth wasn't nearby, plants closer to him have more intellect than ones further away."

They had no choice but to run out the back of the entire complex to escape. Only then did they come to a screeching halt to face a surprising figure.

"Danny!" Jack shouted in surprise. Neither Maddie nor Damon spoke to correct him. Danny Phantom was floating in front of them and scanning them with his cold green and empty eyes.

"You will be good nutrients for the children."

They didn't even get to run before the vines had them.

zzz

Everyone had been captured and drug to the center of town. They were tied to trees and had yet to see Danny again after his attacks. It was getting quiet and Dani had gotten panicky and twitchy when she'd learned that Danny was under the influence of the mind vine.

"So wait, let me get this straight. You're saying Mr. Miracle Grow has Phantom under his control?" A man asked staring at the Fentons, who were tied to a tree close to Sam, Tucker and Valerie. Their various families were also close by.

"It's the mind vine. The ghost Undergrowth has the ability to manipulate the minds of people and ghosts." Maddie spoke up, rambling what she could remember from Danny's Ghost Files.

"You mean Phantom's being mind controlled through that vine in the back of his head?" A Damon Grey asked.

"Exactly, Damon," Jack nodded. "He can't be freed either unless that vine attached to his head is removed."

"I saw it! Phantom screamed like it hurt to." Dash squirmed.

"It seemed as though Phantom was trying to fight his influence but was overcome." Lancer added.

It grew quiet again. The citizens eventually ended up turning, looking at Dani and and blinking. A grumpy older man spoke up. "Well? Aren't you going to save us or something, ghost girl?"

Dani frowned. "I already said I can't move."

The man paused at the upset and somewhat lost look on the girl's face.

"Hey, Sam, Tucker, where's Danny, uh Danny Fenton?" Brandon asked from afar.

"And the other Dani?" Ash asked in worry. Dani glanced at him in slight confusion due to his worry, though she knew her two friends didn't know her secret like Danny's knew.

Jack spoke up. "If I know my kids, they didn't get tricked by any ghost and went to find help for Amity."

"Yeah, sounds like Fenton, running away." Dash rolled his eyes.

Sam growled and Tucker mumbled something under his breath.

"Uh, Dani, can't you just use your snowy powers like your cousin?" A young child asked. "Momma says that plants don't like the cold."

Dani perked up. "Yeah!" and then she glanced at the ground in shame. "Except, I haven't learned how from him yet. I'm still practicing, but… I guess I'll try." Dani was just about to start trying to concentrate, when they heard a voice that sounded very familiar.

"I could still teach you more interesting attacks instead."

Everyone but Dani gasped when they saw the figure behind Dani. It was Danny Phantom only with his reappearance, his look had become very different. Vines with spikes wrapped around his chest in an X-shape manner, blocking the view of his famous logo; they snaked up around his throat like a choker and also wrapped around his legs down to his ankles in a simple spiral. Lastly, he had a laurel wreath on his head which was a glowing greenish gold and a medium length cape of green leaves. His fully green eyes blinked at the humans and halfa present.

"Well, cuz? Do you want to join me and father and learn about the children? Father says the ice has no use and harms the earth's greens. Come, join us Dani."

Dani growled. "Danny! What's wrong with you!? You've got to snap out of it!"

Suddenly Undergrowth formed amongst them, making many gasp or scream shortly.

"What do you think of my Prince?"

Danny's eyes flashed. "Quemadmodum et pater, mundi et reget imperia." (I shall rule the Worlds and do as father commands.)

"I was shocked when I discovered that he can use the ancient language. He isn't like most ghosts, so it was somewhat assumed he couldn't… Regardless, with the only being here with ice powers out of the way, you will all be used as fertilizer. I'm going to tear down your city in your place because you humans take too long to even do that and Phantom, my son, will help me."

Dani growled and tried to pull her arms and legs from their restraints. "Leave my cousin alone! We already have some crazy ghost wanting us as his children, we don't need another! You're not Danny's father and you never will be!"

"I think I already am, dear girl, I would've used you as well… but I can not have a genetic curse among my garden, an accident. You are not suited for survival of the fittest. You're genes are not desirable enough."

Dani froze and if some of the citizens had been looking, they would've noticed the angered or sad looks on Sam, Tucker, Jack, Maddie, and Valerie's faces. Dani was looking at the ground at first in hurt, her eyes clinched and tears threatening to fall. The citizens watched in sorrow and some worry as they heard her trembling voice.

"I'm… I'm not a mistake. I'm… not an imperfection."

"And why would you believe that? Of course you are, you copy."

Many didn't understand what was going on with their traded words.

"Because Danny said so."

Undergrowth paused and then laughed. "So you believe yourself to be equal just because Phantom-"

"Believes in me!" Dani growled, interrupting Undergrowth.

The large plant ghost hissed. "It doesn't matter if he does."

"Yeah it does! He's loved and cared for me when no one else would! He's trained me and given me a reason to exist! I would be nothing without him!" Dani yelled back, thrashing again against the vines.

"Whatever." Undergrowth backed up and looked over at Danny. "Phantom, start spreading my kingdom. This is your next command."

Danny glanced over at Undergrowth. "Etiam pater." (Yes father.) Danny then started to move away with vines following after him across the ground.

Dani became panicked and yelled. "No! Danny! Stop!"

ooo

_Dani frowned again. "Everything about me is messed up." She gasped when he snatched her chin in his gloved hand, to make her look at him again._

_"I don't ever want to hear you say that again, okay? That's not true. You're Dani, not Danny. You're your own person and news flash, every existing thing is different from the next. Dani… you like everyone else, are perfectly imperfect."_

_Dani was in silent awe until Danny dropped his hand. "Danny…"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"You really mean that?"_

_"Have I ever lied to you?"_

_Dani smiled brightly and threw her arms around her brother's neck, standing on her tip toes to do so. "Thank you."_

_Thank you..._

ooo

Dani yelled again as her memories from the morning's training session she had with Danny ended. Suddenly, ice cracked and formed around the vines holding her down and traveled far along their length. The vines exploded into shards of ice after that. Undergrowth hissed again and commanded Danny. "Get her!"

Danny growled and shot towards Dani like a rocket. She yelped as he slammed vines into her form, sending her crashing into the ground.

"She can use the ice. We must put her in a pod to prepare her… She shall rest eternally."

Danny nodded and floated towards the ground to capture Dani. She was laying on the ground, still as a stone. "Eius finis." (Her end comes.) He took one more step towards her form. Before he could command the vines to grab her, Dani jumped up suddenly and placed her hands on his chest.

"Sorry, Danny!" The ice energy thudded against Danny's chest and ice then coated his front, arms and legs, making him partially immobile. Dani quickly reached around back and yanked hard on the mind vine. It snapped and dissolved in her hand. She then saw the partially frozen Danny fall backwards and strike the ground, seemingly out cold.

"You wretched weed! You despicable defect! I'll end you!" Undergrowth whipped vines in Dani's direction and she dodged upwards and fired a stream of ice out of her hands, freezing part of Undergrowth's base.

She smiled brightly. "_Cool_!" She blinked. "I even got to make a pun!"

"GRRRRAAaaahH!" Undergrowth roared and slapped Dani back towards the ground with his hand. She crashed into the street a second time and she tiredly raised her head to glance over at where Danny was. Only to see, he wasn't there.

"Need a hand?"

She gasped and looked in front of her to see Danny smiling, clean of his foliage-made costume and extending his hand. She blanched when she saw a mind vine dart towards Danny once more.

"Danny!" She gapped when the vine touched some kind of invisible barrier and caught fire before coming near Danny. He turned from her and glared at Undergrowth. "You caught me off guard once, not again."

Undergrowth snarled as Dani rose herself from the ground. Danny turned to her and nodded. "Ready?"

Dani nodded back. "Ready."

Her brother's form was soon coated with flames that popped and sizzled. His eyes were gleaming orange. Dani called on her ice core as blue filled her eyes and covered her fists.

"Dani! You learned Cyrokinesis!"

"Yep, thanks to your advice."

Danny frowned. "Ready to stop talking and kick some butt?"

"Uh, DUH!"

Danny and Dani then shot forward, Dani with her new ice powers and Danny still blazing like a comet.

_I'll distract him up here and you go underground and freeze his roots._

_Okay!_

Danny stopped his communication and started circling around the plant ghost, blasting him with balls of ghost fire. He roared as he felt the ice start to freeze him beneath and shrink him. Dani appeared back up next to Danny. Undergrowth growled as he started to shrink further. "Let's retry this." He took in a breath and Danny's eyes widened. _What could get rid of the spores?_

"Danny?" Dani asked with nervousness as Undergrowth finally exhaled the spores.

Danny growled and pulled back his arm on instinct; hoping to cast a wave of hot air, he instead got something different. When he waved his arm in front of them, a ripple of invisible energy distorted their view before glowing green and forcing a wind of energy to twist and swirl into the spores and disperse and neutralize them. The wind toppled Undergrowth onto his side. Dani then blasted him with ice while Danny concentrated to form a weapon from ice after switching to his cold core. A staff of ice slowly started to glitter and form in his hand. Once it got far enough away from his hand on one end, it stopped at a spike; then a blade formed from the side and curved. Danny was now holding a scythe made of ecto ice in his hand.

"Time to cut you down to size!" Danny bantered before swinging a wide arc with the weapon, slicing Undergrowth in half. Dani fired more ice and soon, Undergrowth was a mere weed.

"You Phantoms will pay for this!" Undergrowth shouted with a squeaking voice.

Danny smirked and picked Undergrowth up and then froze the small weed solid. "I think the Observants would be happy to have you back." The scythe melted in his other hand and he placed Undergrowth on the ground again. Danny turned to see Dani starting to help get people out of the vines. Danny formed claws made of ecto ice and floated up before slicing through the binds while Dani caught and helped everyone down to the ground. The trees and most everything else started to shrink, no longer being powered by Undergrowth.

Danny floated over to Dani and lifted her into the air from behind. "You did it, Dani! You saved us, cuz."

Dani gasped and shook her head. "No I didn't. We both did."

Danny let go and chuckled in her face once she'd turned around. "Uh, I was kinda one with the mind vine. You set me free. So you saved us."

Dani blushed slightly and kicked at the ground.

"And you learned your ice powers! Uh, can you say BONUS!?" Danny exclaimed.

Dani looked up at him with a big smile. "Thanks for believing in me, Danny."

He paused and rubbed the back of his neck with confusion. Dani giggled and looked back at the crowd and winked.

"Anytime, cuz."

zzz

The people of Amity started to clean the streets from left over plant matter, trying to repair their city after Undergrowth's attack.

Back at Fentonworks, Team Phantom and Danny's family were gathered in the living room waiting for Danny's return from the Observants in the Ghost Zone. Dani was in her human form with a new brown beanie on when her ghost sense activated. Everyone in the room tensed.

"Don't worry it's just Danny. I always know his… sense?"

"Huh, how do you do that?" Everyone jumped slightly when Danny's head popped through the floor intangibly.

"Jeez Danny don't do that," Valerie sighed and placed a hand on her heart. Tucker, Sam and Valerie had practically jumped through hoops to convince their parents that they would be safe at the Fentons for the rest of the day, but they were here and that's what mattered.

Danny laughed nervously. "Oops, sorry." He floated up through the floor and changed into Fenton before sitting beside Sam on the couch.

"I don't know. I've always been able to sense certain ghosts, mostly you and Vlad," Dani answered Danny's previous question.

"Huh, maybe it has something to do with how you were made, though that wouldn't explain Vlad. Maybe you can try and teach me sometime."

The short talk was interrupted by Mrs Fenton.

"Danny we were wondering how you created that wind. Has that always been one of your powers?" Maddie asked.

Danny rubbed his neck nervously. "Uh actually, it was an accident. It was supposed to be a wave of fire or something like that. It felt different though.

Sam hummed. "From what we've gathered. I theorize that that attack didn't use either core, like your normal ectoblasts don't. I wonder if you can use it in any other ways?"

Tucker grinned. "Maybe it's your Psychic powers getting stronger! You used Telekensis to move the air. Maybe you could even use it in other ways, like displacing the air around you to run or fly faster?"

Maddie hummed. "That is an idea. Perhaps some kind of psychic manipulation of the area around you?"

Danny grinned and snapped his fingers. "That makes since."

Dani perked up. "It does?"

"If you force it outwards slightly, like I did, then the aura or psychic aura could be used to displace the air around us, or even communicate data aka thoughts by altering matter, that must be where my Telepathy came from. Technically the healing abilities we have are psychic in nature following that theory. We _will_ our bodies to heal faster because we control the process more than normal humans."

The whole group hurried after Danny when he stated he wanted to try something. Danny transformed into Phantom and flew down into the lab, with Dani right behind him.

They found Dani watching Danny as he closed his eyes and willed a pale greenish aura to form around him. He then flew forward, _fast._ Tucker gasped and fumbled with his PDA to try and clock Danny's speed but the halfa met the wall before anyone could do anything. He crashed face first into the opposite side of the lab and slid to the ground transforming back into Fenton.

"Ow."

"Danny! You went so fast!" Sam yelped and ran over. "Are you okay?"

Danny groaned. "Well yeah I guess. That's going to take some practice. It drains me really quick to force my aura out. That and being able to control myself when going so fast is also hard."

"That was so awesome!" Dani squealed.

"Then I guess I need to start practicing," Danny replied with a grin.

zzz

**Mansion on the Outskirts of Amity. One week later.**

"Undergrowth… such a vile ghost. Couldn't he at least clean up after himself?" Vlad grumbled as he picked up a shriveled up vine from his armchair. He tossed it in a garbage can. Vlad had left for the Ghost Zone while Undergrowth had attacked Amity. Concerning the facts Vlad believed to be true he'd figured there was no way for the over-grown weed to overcome his destined son. Daniel had grown strong. He'd been a tad surprised to learn that Dani had been the one to actually save the town since Daniel had been controlled. Vlad wasn't sure what to think of that really, so he banished the thoughts entirely.

Vlad walked over and looked down at his monitors now that he'd rebooted them. He sat in his armchair and began strumming his fingers against it's armrest as he watched the Fenton family moving about their home. But of course he'd been spying on them since practically day one. Regardless, he was getting angrier and angrier at what he had been seeing. He had had the somewhat small hope that Daniel's parents would've abandoned him as soon as they found out what he was but alas dear Maddie was too too kind. In fact things had been getting easier for Daniel, which was not helpful and the family also knew of Vlad's other half.

Nothing was going his way. Vlad needed to break Daniel in order to tame him, having his parents accept him, help him with ghosts, and now even allowing Danielle into their family, was making things too easy. The stress he'd known before was slowly going away, though now Daniel also had the moniker of TheEidolon on his shoulders too. He needed to push Daniel past his breaking point.

Vlad sighed. "Oh Maddie… Daniel… why do you seek to torture me with your distance?"

Vlad desperately wanted their company… their love. He could feel his core burn in his chest at just the thought. How foolish he'd been to try and _clone_ Daniel; it would never replace the real thing. How he wanted them to smile at him… Then though, the thought of the one who'd taken that all away from him… Jack. His core heated up even more and his had to let out a hiss.

Vlad shook his head and tried to tame the emotions bubbling up due to his ghostly obsession. He wouldn't be able to keep a cool head if he let his emotions take control… he'd suffered from that more times than he'd like to admit.

Vlad glanced over at another screen to distract him from his previous thoughts and saw the Crown of Fire flickering behind a shield. If only he could figure out a way to get into the Observant's vault and retrieve the Ring of Rage. He knew that as soon as he did that, he could rule the Ghost Zone. He needed time to plan how to accomplish this, but if Daniel wasn't under his command or at the very least, distracted, then he'd never get away with it. Daniel was actually becoming quiet powerful, even Vlad was having to admit it. He wasn't sure why Daniel seemed to be getting stronger, but he was.

It was during this time that Vlad noticed Daniel talking with Maddie. He listened closely and froze when he heard what his love said to Daniel after he'd told her or explained to her some sort story about one of Vlad's past schemes.

"That scoundrel! I can't believe he was our friend!"

"He let his obsession get the better of him."

"I… Right now, I can only see him as a malicious ghost. When I find him, if I find him, I…"

"Mom."

"I'm sorry Danny, it's just. I never thought I'd hate Vlad. Yes he was odd, but he was a good friend long ago."

"I'm sorry you had to learn about his real self."

"Don't be sorry. Sometimes it's important to learn what are the true monsters among us. I think you for helping me learn, Danny."

Vlad growled as his eyes flashed a dangerous red briefly. He then jumped back from the screens and out of his chair before starting to pace. He grit his teeth and roared before slamming his fist into his bookshelf, making the shelf fall and the books scatter about the room. He stayed that way for a moment, hand resting on the wall and torso leaning that way too for support. Quiet… empty… silence. His mansions were full of it… even the meowing of a cat wasn't enough.

"Maddie thinks… I'm… a monster."

Heated tears bubbled at the corners of his eyes before he transformed into Plasmius. Those two single, now glowing, tears fell as Vlad flew towards his portal in his lab to enter the Zone. He had some places to go and things to do. The only thing he knew for certain though were that he would make Daniel pay for turning his love against him enough to call _him_ a monster. He would prove to Maddie that Jack was the monster and then Daniel would become his mindless slave instead of his well mannered and happy son.

What did he have to lose now? Nothing. The Fentons, Daniel, or his little friends could rat him out at any time and everything he had would be taken from him. Play time was over; the only way he'd pull out a win was if he made the first move.

zzz

**Amity Mall.**

"I've got to say, it's amazing."

"Thanks Sam."

Danny and Sam were walking down the road towards Mr. Fundoo's Art Gallery to drop off a new sculpture that Danny had made. Danny had left home an hour or so ago and met up with Sam. The sculpture was of Undergrowth.

"It's also pretty big, so who knows how much you'll get for it. That and TheEidolon's fame will bolster the price."

Danny smiled a bit. "That's cool, I guess."

As they approached the Gallery, they saw people all camping out in front of the store. They snuck to the back as Mr. Fundoo yanked them both inside.

"Uh, and you are?" Mr. Fundoo asked and glanced up and down at Danny in his ratty Humpty Dumpty t-shirt and jeans.

"Uh…"

"He's my friend," Sam replied swiftly and pulled out the sculpture of Undergrowth.

Mr. Fundoo's eyes sparkled. "Aaahh... Another amazing piece by TheEidolon. People somehow found out a new one was coming in. You think he could make several of these?"

Sam glanced mostly invisibly at Danny who gave a brief nod.

"Yes he can."

"Excellent! Thank you for bringing it by, Sam." Mr. Fundoo glanced at Danny and frowned. "Maybe you could teach your _other_ friends to be interested in the Arts like your friend TheEidolon."

Danny frowned and grumbled to himself.

Sam said goodbye and once the two were outside, she grabbed Danny's hand.

"Man… I really get underestimated by people, huh?" Danny murmured.

Sam frowned and squeezed his hand softly. "It's just people with their dumb stereotypes. People aren't willing to get to know you. It's their fault not yours."

"So do I not look approachable?"

Sam smirked and spun him slightly before leaning into him. "I'd say more than approachable." She then kissed him, deeply.

They heard one or two people nearby grumble about their PDA so they wandered into an alleyway to have a smudge of privacy. Sam linked her hands behind his head and started to push harder into a kiss they'd started. Danny reached for her curvy waist and she took one hand to reassure him and guide him there. They had their chests pressed against each other as they kissed long and tenderly. Eventually Danny flipped them so he was pushing her up against the wall.

"I was such an idiot. How could I have not realized…" Danny murmured after another kiss.

"Cause you're Mr. Clueless."

"Thank you."

"Thank you too, Mr. Phantom."

Danny laughed and leaned his forehead forward to rest on hers.

Sam sighed. "I'm just glad you didn't keep after Paulina." Sam had to hold back a laugh when a slightly disturbed look crossed Danny's face.

"I should've listened to you in the beginning. She has a weird physical obsession with Phantom which at some point also transferred to Fenton and then back to Phantom because of spite and now she thinks that Phantom will come crawling back… It's like she sees a different world or something."

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

"How about we no longer mention any A-listers while making out, hm?" Danny smirked.

Sam smirked back. "I do believe you're on to something."

They leaned in and went back to kissing and then exploring each others' mouths, when Sam's eyes shot open. A cold breath of icy fog was set free in her mouth and Danny jerked back quickly.

"Sorry, ghost sense."

Sam placed a hand to her mouth and laughed a bit awkwardly. "That was… actually, I don't know what to say about that."

Danny smirked before turning away from her and looking around. The white crackling rings of light traveled up and down Danny's body, turning him into Phantom. After what they'd been doing, Sam felt a blush rise to her cheeks seeing him in his skin-tight HAZMAT suit. She fought away her blush as she saw Danny shoot into the sky and look around before flying back down to her.

"I don't hear anyone screaming yet and I didn't see anything."

"Maybe its a more subtle ghost, like Spectra or Youngblood or even Vlad."

"Hmm… Stay close to me. I don't want to be caught off guard by anythi-"

"Ruff! Ruff-ruff!"

Danny and Sam looked over and saw a dog fumble into their line of sight on the other end of the alleyway. It had a old crusty boot over its head and was growling as if enjoying some play. What was different about this dog compared to most however, was it's particular green fur and greenish aura. It was none other than Cujo the ghost dog.

"Cujo…" Danny warned.

Cujo perked up and turned intangible so the boot could fall from his head. His ears turned towards Danny and he lolled out his tongue. The dog bolted right at Danny and grabbed his 'master's ankle before running off.

"CUJOOOOH!"

Sam laughed into her hand and ran out of the alleyway to see where the ghost dog had taken her boyfriend. People who were walking down the street turned and stared at Danny as he was drug down the street by the ankle by the small dog.

"Cujo! Cujo, down boy! No! No!" The dog drug Danny through the bushes and into the park. Once there, he let go and grabbed a stick before getting into a pounce position and wagging his tail in front of Danny. He chuckled and shook his head. "Wait did you want to play fetch or something?"

"Ruff! Ruff ruff!"

"Okay, okay fine. Five tosses, okay?"

"Ruff!"

"Geez, okay six tosses and a belly rub."

"Ruff!"

"Good, give it here." Danny picked up the stick and tossed it really far. Cujo barked happily before dashing off after it. This was repeated five times and then Cujo laid down in front of Phantom on his back as his stomach was rubbed.

"You be good, okay Cujo? No scaring people."

"Ruff!"

Danny looked about after saying goodbye and flew off to transform, before finding Sam at the entrance to the park.

"He give you enough trouble?"

Danny laughed a bit. "He just wanted some attention… I think."

The two turned and walked off, heading down the road towards FentonWorks. They were at the door when Cujo ran from behind them as if he'd been trailing them and through the Fentons' front door.

"GHOST!"

Danny gave a quick look to Sam before they both ran inside. "Dad, wait!"

Jack was pointing a Fenton bazooka at Cujo, who'd transformed into his larger form. Danny ran over and got between them. "Just put the bazooka down slowly. You scared him."

Jack glanced up at Cujo before looking at Danny. He nodded and slowly pulled the weapon out of sight. Danny spoke soothingly to Cujo before he shrunk into puppy size.

"So he really likes ya, huh Danno?" Jack asked.

Danny laughed sheepishly. "Well yeah. I got his squeaky toy back for him. It's kinda weird. Most ghosts that fulfill their obsession in some way move on, but Cujo's still here."

Sam smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Unless they find a new obsession, like protecting their master."

Danny seemed surprised and looked down at Cujo. "Is that true?"

"Ruff!"

Jack seemed contemplative for a moment before he smiled. "Well your mother's out, but she'll be home soon. What do you want for supper?"

Danny shrugged.

"Do you mind if I stay for dinner?" Sam asked.

Danny rolled his eyes. "You don't even have to ask."

Jack chuckled and moved into the kitchen to look around while Danny and Sam went to guide Cujo to the portal.

"Did someone say dinner? Valerie was busy so I thought hey, why not go and eat the Fentons out of house and home?" Danny and Sam turned and looked at the door to see Tucker's head popping through. He had a grin on his face.

Danny laughed. "Always man."

zzz

**Valentine's Day. Casper High.**

"Ugh, too much pink. I'm going to be sick."

"Come on Sam, it's just one day."

"She can't stand it though, Danny. Look at her, look at her!" Tucker joshed before Sam elbowed him hard.

The three friends were walking through the halls of Capser High on Valentine's day. Hearts and decorations lined the walls and Danny was certain he'd seen Sam gag twice since they'd arrived.

"Come on Sam, it's not that bad." Danny tried to assure her.

Sam frowned a bit but squeezed his hand in return. "Okay okay, I'll try to bare it a bit longer." She growled a bit under her breath. Danny only smiled back.

"Oop! I'll catch you two lovebirds later!" Tucker snapped out with a cheeky grin before running over towards Valerie, who was at her locker. The other girl waved at Sam and Danny before walking away with Tucker at her side.

"And he always teased _us_." Sam grumbled. Danny smirked and turned to walk towards History class, which he and Sam both shared. They noticed several people talking in pairs in the halls and trading notes to each other.

"I guess it's kinda endearing." Sam murmured.

"That's the spirit," Danny replied. He then blushed and glanced at the ground. "Hey uh. I have a surprise for you ya know."

Sam perked up and looked at Danny. "You do? Danny! I didn't get anything for you!"

Danny smiled. "Well I suppose you could call it a late gift."

"For what?"

"Your birthday."

Danny reached down into his backpack pocket and pulled out something shimmering. He placed it carefully in Sam's hand. It was the pedant of ecto ice with a ghostly flame burning inside which was to be added to her necklace she had received for her birthday.

"How'd you do it!?" Sam gasped and held it carefully.

"I finally figured out that I could duplicate, use cold core for one and hot core for the other, then separate them with a little ectoplasm. I hope that's not weird… I had to use my uh… blood? Just a little, to keep the fire from melting the ice. You can't really see it. I would've used my ray but it was too volatile. If you just wanna normal piece without the blood thing then-Mmph." He was halted by a quick but sweet kiss.

"It's perfect, beyond perfect. Before we got really close and we were still strictly friends, I had always wanted to switch vile of blood necklaces with my future boyfriend, but that usually weirded people out. This is fine though… I think it's a perfect balance."

Danny chuckled and then smiled. "Glad you like it."

Sam slipped the piece into a safe pocket before they entered the room for History class. Mrs. Lawrence, their History teacher started class and told everyone that they would be having a vote for the most loved girl and boy in school. Then they went on with their lesson.

zzz

At lunch, Danny, Sam, Valerie, Tucker, Dani, Ash, and Jace all sat together. Danny learned that Dani had received valentines from both of her friends and she'd given one to both of them. Jace kept asking Ash in a very obvious way if he was feeling hot since he looked flushed. Dani didn't understand or notice Ash's blushing or Jace's hints, though Jace and Tucker seemed to share an exasperated look. Danny gave both of Dani's friends a dangerous glare before Sam could scold him for bothering them or Dani could get embarrassed by her big brother.

From afar they could hear Paulina and Dash talking about how obvious is was that they would be voted for most loved girl and boy in the Highschool's vote.

zzz

The last class of the day was Mr. Lancer's English class. He pulled a chair up to sit in front of everyone, which wasn't normal.

"Everyone, today we will be discussing the annual Senior Class Trip."

A bunch of cheers from the class rose up and Lancer quieted them with a hand.

"It will take place over Spring Break and we will be traveling to the Ozarks Mountains in Arkansas. Mrs. Testlaff and myself will again be the chaperones. The Bus ride will be roughly eleven hours in length, so make sure to bring a few snacks if you want. We'll stop for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. We will be camping in the wilderness and not cabins so you will need to provide your own sleeping bags, tents, and equipment. It will be a week long trip into the unknown! So here are you slips for parental consent if you want to join us."

Sam's eyes got wide and she tugged on Danny and Tucker's sleeves. "We gotta go."

"Awwwww…. but no TV? No internet if I get no bars?" Tucker whined softly.

Danny shrugged. "If you guys want to."

"Sounds like fun to me," Valerie responded.

The class quieted a bit when the principal's assistant walked into the room and passed Lancer two envelopes. He spoke up as she left.

"Well, it seems that both of the winners for the Valentine's voting are in our classroom."

Dash grinned and high fived Kwan while Paulina lifted her head high with pride. Danny, Sam, Valerie and Tucker weren't paying attention and Lancer stood.

"The girl chosen as most loved in Casper High is Paulina Sanchez."

Paulina got up as most of the girls and boys in class applauded her. She walked to the front and received a nice little heart card that had lace and decorations on it.

Lancer pulled out the second slip of paper. "And the boy that won most loved is-"

Dash went to stand with a bright toothy smile on his face and then-

"Daniel Fenton."

The room was silent.

"We should bring those tents that can link together."

"Sounds wicked. How big do you think we could make our clan of tents?" Tucker joked.

"Who knows, depends if anyone else we know has the same kind," Danny replied.

"I could order some." Sam offered.

"That could be an idea." Tucker grinned.

"Oh yeah forgot you had like an army of people at your beck and call." Valerie smirked at the smiling Sam.

"Daniel?"

Danny perked his head up and looked about the room to see everyone staring at him. "Uh, yeah?"

"You're the winner."

Dash was still have hanging over his seat in shock but then he ground his teeth. "There's no way Fenturd is the winner! I'm the most loved guy in the school!"

"Wait, what!? Me?" Danny asked and scratched the back of his head.

"There's difference between douche and most loved guy, Dash." Some random student sneered.

"Who said that!" Dash growled.

"Enough!" Lancer shouted and turned to Danny. "Mr. Fenton?"

Danny sweated nervously and chuckled. "Uh, okay." He got up and walked up to the front of class with his hands in his pockets. He reached out with one hand and took his card for winning. "Uh thanks I guess?" Danny smiled and shifted nervously in front with Paulina next to him. Paulina grumbled something and looked away.

"Alright then." Lancer spoke up as the two started back towards their seats. "We have ten minutes, let's try to get some class time in."

Danny sat down and shrugged to his friends. Tucker was smirking, Valerie was smiling from her new closer seat near them and Sam was looking at him in amusement, before a wisp of blue escaped Danny's mouth. He rose his hand. "May I go to the restroom?"

Lancer nodded and then sighed at the predictable scenario. "Very well."

Danny ran out of the classroom in a hurry. It seemed that a ghost was just outside the range of the School's ghost alarms.

_-BBBRRRRRIIINNNGGG!-_

Never mind.

"The Age of Innocence! Why must ghosts interrupt my class!?" Lancer shouted as the students started to evacuate according to protocol. An even more interesting thought entered Lancer's mind though. Ever since the alarms had been installed... Daniel always seemed to use the bathroom before they rang. He'd usually reappear after the ghost was gone too. He was snapped out of his thoughts when the alarms stopped.

"I heard the alarms go off. Is the ghost gone?"

Lancer turned and saw Danny walking down the hall towards him and his class, hair a bit tangled and a cut barely showing near his shirt collar.

"Yeah, it's gone. The alarms would be still ringing otherwise," Tucker spoke up and continued playing the game of Alien Invader on his PDA he'd started. Then the final bell rang and the rest of the class ran off. Lancer stood watching Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie walk away only to merge with Danny's young sister, Dani, and her friends Ash and Jace. Dani's ponytail looked a bit untidy, like she'd wrestled with something. Jace halted them all and licked his thumb and finger before smoothing out a few stray hairs on Dani's head. Ash mentioned something about Jace being OCD and by then the rest of the group's talk was lost as they walked further away from Lancer.

"Yes... gone. The ghost is gone, Mr. Fenton." Lancer frowned in worry. Was Daniel fighting ghosts on the side? He needed to figure things out now more than ever. The trip... Yes the trip. If Danny and his friends went then maybe outside of the school environment, he could come to understand the four students a bit more.

* * *

**Hoped you liked it!**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**bloody dragon fang: Danny's powers, does that mean that she will get her own set of powers that Danny won't get? I mean that would be awesome like maybe she gets the power to control rocks or maybe even obtain the power to shapeshift as good as amorpho**

**NoSignal: That does sound cool, but not for this story. Dani simply has a cold core and not a hot core. Your idea is pretty neat though, reminds me of Sypro and Cynder sorta :)**

**transmetaljohn: That leads me to one question though. How can Danny transform into a Dan Phantom like state if he does not absorb Vlad's ghost half?**

**NoSignal: I'm actually going to use someone else's words since they explained it the best in their own review of the chapter :) [Danny's "transformation" into a more Dan-looking character also makes sense, as he gets a few of Dan's traits in becoming angry like Dan... but he also doesn't completely turn into Dan because Dan also has some of Vlad's ghostly qualities and is older, which Danny doesn't express, obviously. ] Hope that helps!**

**Check it bonsly: (Have I reviewed this story yet? I definitely reviewed the master challenge...)**

**Anyway, I think that if Dani gets another friend, it should be a girl (so then its a genderswap of Danny, Tucker and Sam)**

**NoSignal: Naw this is your first for this story, I think. The genderswap idea is cool, but I hope you still like Jace. His character will be built upon as well as Ash's more in the next chapter. :)**

**NoSignal to Starlin's Ghost: Thanks again for a lovely review :)**

**NoSignal to all: Thanks everyone! :D**

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**~NoSignal**


	13. The Somewhat Incredible Journey

**Here we go. The first chapter of the Field Trip portion!**

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**For now I****'****m going to say that each chapter ****should come every week and a half to two weeks**** I will inform you whenever I get any buffer chapters and can update faster or if something comes up to alter this schedule.**

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**And I'm just going to say this for safety: There are some people from history that appear in here. In particular people or... ghosts from a place called the Lemp Mansion. Even if I used these deceased people, I gave them my own purpose. I used different names for the people that supposedly used to live there and the place so: **

**All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.**

**AKA I generalized them greatly to make them less specifically like anyone other than the general location the mansion is located.**

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zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_...there ain't no journey what don't change you some.__" __ ~ David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas._

zzz

**A day before Spring Break. The day of the High School Camping Trip.**

Spring Break and the Senior Trip would be starting tomorrow, so Danny had invited everyone over to his house to spend the night. Sam, Valerie, and Tucker were finishing packing some of their things and even Danny's things in Danny's room, while Danny himself was in the lab talking with his mother and father about some ghost hunting equipment they wanted him to bring for safety's sake. Dani was mad that the trip was only for High Schoolers, but Maddie had promised to get some time for her to bond with herself, Jazz and Jack while Danny was gone; Jazz would be visiting for Spring Break but would be missing Danny by a day or so. Tucker had pleaded with the others to have a video game night before they left since they'd be mostly without until the trip was over. After staying up a while and playing games with Sam, Valerie, and Dani too, the five all fell asleep leaning against one another.

The next morning, Danny was going to fly them to school after they said goodbye to Danny's parents and Dani. They'd packed their tents, sleeping bags, and all the camping equipment they'd need. Ultimately they'd found that only Valerie was really interested in their clan tent idea, but honestly that was okay with them. Though they really were warming up to Brandon, Lester, and some of the others, it was nice to have just the four of them in a tent were they could talk about secretive things when they were careful. Sam had contacted Mr. Fundoo and told him that TheEidolon would be unable to work for the next week so he shouldn't expect any new pieces at the end of the that period.

After getting everything together, they said goodbye to the Fentons and Danny grabbed up his three friends and their things before flying them invisibly to school. They arrived at six AM just like they had been told to. A large bus was in front of the establishment since over twenty students had decided to come. Many of them were standing around in the parking lot in their groups and talking excitedly. Danny and his friends appeared from behind a bush and walked up to check in with Mr. Lancer.

When they saw the bus, Danny face-palmed, Tucker had a dry look on his face, Sam sighed in exasperation and Valerie wanted to punch something. On the side of the bus was DALV corp's logo and a big goofily grinning portrait of Vlad Masters.

"Of all the kinds of busses the school could've rented." Danny grumbled from behind his hand.

"How embarrassing to have to travel around with that thing plastered on there." Sam sighed.

"At least we won't have to see it for a while once we get to Arkansas," Tucker added.

"I'm not getting on that thing," Valerie hissed. She glanced at Tucker grumpily when he slid an arm around her shoulders.

"Eh, Vlad's ego is bigger than that bus. I say it's false advertising."

Danny actually laughed. "That was actually a good one, Tuck."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tucker narrowed his eyes.

Valerie snickered when Sam grinned. "He means usually your jokes suck."

"Why am I friends with you people again? I don't have to deal with this kind of abuse."

Valerie smirked and pulled Tucker's beret over his eyes and pulled him into a side hug. "Because you love us."

"Oh yeah. Dang it."

At that moment, Mrs. Telstaff blew her whistle sharply to gain everyone's attention. "Okay boys and girls, Mr. Lancer is going to do roll call, so listen up and raise you hand when your name is called."

Lancer then went down the list alphabetically by their last names.

There was Megan, Brandon, Dash, Danny, Tucker, Valerie, Lester, Star, Alroy, Brad, who was a large boy with a red and white shirt and red baseball cap and jeans, Stan, who was a blond boy with red glasses and an orange shirt and jeans, Norman, Sam, Mikey, Kwan, Melanie, who was a red head with glasses that Mikey had a crush on, Lesley, a brown skinned girl with wavy black hair straight above her head who wore a green headband and shirt with jeans, John, who had brown hair, glasses, and an orange shirt, Dinah a brown haired and eyed girl with a pink shirt and jeans that often hung out with Paulina, Paulina, Freddie, who had orange hair, a green hat and orange shirt with jeans, Tyson, Richard, who was a hispanic young man with short cropped black hair and wore a blue v-neck shirt with jeans, and finally TJ, who was a dark skinned boy with a green beanie, orange sweatshirt, and green cargo pants.

All the students then piled onto the bus and took their seats. Danny and his friends, naturally moved towards the back. Everyone started talking immediately as both teachers sat near the front. The chaperones talked to the driver a bit and the bus started to move.

"This is going to be great," Sam beamed. "A week of being out in nature."

Tucker sighed. "Sounds terrible. And hiking? Are they _trying_ to kill me?"

"Aw come on, Foley. You need a bit more exercise." Valerie laughed a bit and twirled a bit of her hair.

"I hope we get a good view of the sky at least one night." Danny smiled and then stretched his arms behind his head.

"I wonder if we'll find a place to swim. It's finally starting to feel like spring." Valerie mentioned.

"I just hope no ghosts show up," Tucker spoke up and clicked a few buttons on his PDA.

"TUCK!" Danny, Sam, and Valerie yelped.

Tucker face palmed. "I'm an idiot."

zzz

**Amity Park.**

Dani sat in the den at FentonWorks, upside down, watching TV. She'd woken up early to say goodbye to Danny and his friends so now she was wide awake. She would flick between cartoons and the news from time to time to make sure no ghosts were causing trouble. She'd promised Danny that she'd watch after the town while he was gone but also be very careful. Of course she had Maddie, Jack, and Jazz too, at least once she arrived home for the break, but she was pretty sure she could handle it on her own if she had to.

Her parents were in the lab at the moment, working on something. They'd told her to warn them if she was wanting to come into the lab since the materials they were working with could harm ghosts. She hadn't really asked questions after that. What she did know though, was that she was bored. SOOOOOOOO bored.

**-Ring ring- -Ring ring-**

"I'll get it!" Dani yelled so that her parents could hear and ran over to the home phone. She picked it up and heard Ash's voice.

"_Hey there Dani."_

"Oh hey, Ash. What's up?" She was a little surprised that he was even up at this hour. _Jace probably pried him out of bed._ She thought.

"_Uh, me and Jace were wondering if you wanted to hang out since it's Spring Break. We could go to the Arcade or something."_

Dani paused. She wasn't sure how to react. Sure she'd hung out with the two boys at school and the Nasty Burger, but she hadn't ever actually hung out with them much outside of school.

"_Dani? You there?"_

Dani blinked. "Oh uh yeah… Let me ask my parents. Sounds fun!" Dani put down the phone carefully and ran towards the lab shouting for her parents.

"Mom! Dad!" She started down the stairs only for Jack to halt her and scoop her up effortlessly. He hurried back up the steps to the lab with Dani blinking in confusion. Jack put her down and looked her over before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Dani, ya got to warn us. You feel okay?" Jack asked. Moments later, Maddie hurried up towards them.

"Yeah dad… I'm fine." Dani laughed a bit and frowned.

"Sorry sweetie. The compounds we are using are deadly to ghosts… as weird as that sounds. It could destabilize you even getting close to them!" Maddie expressed and then felt a bit of guilt when Dani's face paled.

"Destabilize?" Dani whispered and rubbed her arms.

"Oh Dani… I didn't mean to bring up bad memories, but that's what me and Jack are trying to figure out. We need to discover a antidote for this material." Maddie added.

"Oh…" Dani nodded and then took a breath and smiled.

"What was it you needed, Ellie?" Jack smiled brightly. Ellie had been the nickname that Jack had eventually come up with for his new daughter.

"Oh!" Dani exclaimed. "Ash and Jace wanted to hang out. Can I go meet them?"

Maddie and Jack smiled and nodded. "Be careful, have fun, and your curfew is ten thirty."

"Awww Danny's is twelve!"

"He's older sweetie."

"Okaaay~" Dani nodded and then said goodbye before running back to the phone. "You there?"

"_Oh uh, yeah!"_

"I can come, where do you guys wanna meet?"

"_How about the Nasty Burger in ten minutes?"_

"Can do! Bye!" Dani hung up the phone and grabbed her backpack, which had her phone her parents had gotten her, some money of hers, and a Fenton Thermos. She then ran out the door and into an alleyway to transform and fly towards the Nasty Burger.

She transformed back into Fenton and walked towards the doors of the restaurant and entered. She knew it would be a few minutes before the other two boys would get there so she went up to the counter and bought herself a soda. She then sat on a stool and waited for her friends.

"Dani!"

Dani perked up and smiled when she saw Ash and Jace walk in wearing their typical clothing.

"You're so fast. How do you always beat us to places?" Ash grinned and scratched his head.

"Perhaps she doesn't take forever getting dressed… Why you would want to look good for a trip to an Arcade is beyond me…" Jace glanced purposefully at Ash then Dani. Dani blinked and Ash growled.

"Shut up, man."

Jace only grinned back. "What?" He faked innocence easily.

"You can be such a jerk."

Dani laughed and walked over. "Let's get going! I wanna beat you guys at Zombie Fighter Five."

Ash glanced at her and rose a brow. "Whoa now, who said you'll be winning?"

Dani frowned and then narrowed her eyes. "Is this what Sam was warning me about? You think I can't play video games because I'm a girl?"

Ash's eyes got wider. "Oh no wait. I wasn't-"

Dani grabbed his wrist and started dragging him towards the exit. "Come on! I hope you're ready to have your butt handed to you!"

After Ash and Dani had disappeared Jace rolled his eyes. "Lovebirds."

zzz

**Amity Mall. Arcade.**

"Wait, how, when, where?"

"What? You don't know any five button combo moves? If you wanna even try getting competitive on this game you've got to know some of the finishers."

Ash frowned as his zombie's head was torn off, losing him the match.

"And that's fifteen to zero."

Ash shook his head and then laughed loudly. "Man, I've never been beaten so badly." Dani paused and blinked at him. Ash finished his laugh and then glanced at Dani with his eyes dancing. "I'm so glad I ran into you in the hallway." Dani felt her cheeks warm as she continued to blink at her friend. Ash was too busy looking at her happily before his brain suddenly caught up. He blushed fiercely and put a hand on his head as he looked at the ceiling. "You know… since you're such a good friend. I feel like I could tell you anything."

Dani flinched and glanced down at the ground with a bit of shame. "Anything?"

Ash shook his head. "Sorry, that sounded really corny."

Dani shook her hands. "No no. It's fine, really. I'm glad you trust me so much."

"TAKE THAT BLINKY! HA HA! THE ORANGE IS MINE!"

Dani and Ash paused and turned to look over at where they'd left Jace. He was staring at the Pacman machine carefully twisting and moving the joystick in his left hand.

"Pacman?" Dani asked and then giggled. "I think there's enough ghost hunting going on in Amity Park as it is."

"Don't interrupt him. Jace is like a master at that game. It's like he becomes a different guy when he plays it. It is funny to watch though." Ash grinned and then laughed with Dani. Finally Jace stopped and straightened up before combing his fingers through his slightly disorganized brown hair to neaten it. He glanced over at the other two. "Were you watching me again?"

Ash laughed a bit. "Uh… maybe?"

"You get really excited over that game," Dani giggled.

Jace smiled at them both. "Me and my father used to play that game together a lot. He's a bit busy now, but playing it makes me happy." He grew distracted from his explanation since he'd noticed a speck of lent on his polo and tried to pick it off.

Ash noticed and snorted. "Neat-freak."

Jace glared up at his friends after the offending lent was gone. "There's nothing wrong with wanting one's environment to be orderly."

"Yeah Ash, stop teasing Jace about his issues," Dani spoke and then walked off. Jace deadpanned and Ash scratched his head.

"Hey, wait!" Ash yelped and ran after her. Jace sighed, smiled and followed after them more slowly.

Ash ran up beside Dani and Jace joined him soon after. "So want do you guys wanna do now?"

"Hmmm… Wanna go get smoothies or something?" Before either Ash or Jace could reply a scream tore through the mall. Dani felt a cold breath of air leave her mouth. "Dang it."

"What the heck was that?" Ash gasped mentioning the scream.

As if the universe was wanting to answer him, a ghost that looked like a Were-wolf but was definitely not Wulf pounced out from behind a small stand. More people started to scream.

Ash grabbed Dani's wrist and turned swiftly before starting to run. Jace turned with them and ran for cover as well. Dani glanced back behind them at the ghost and saw it turn to glare at a woman and a young child. Her face grew determined and she waited until they were someplace safe before using intangibly and invisibly to slip out of Ash's grasp and run to a changing booth to transform. She shot out towards the woman and child who had become cornered. She snatched them away right before the ghost's jaws could snap down on them.

Back in a store down the way, Ash and Jace were just noticing that Dani was gone.

"I had a hold of her hand! Where'd she go!?" Ash asked worriedly and started looking all around. Jace tried to speak but Ash ran out from behind cover before he could. Jace ran out to try and stop his friend, but the damage had already been done. The Were-wolf ghost turned and locked its eyes on Ash and Jace, Ash's white hair was bright in the ghost's vision. It charged, snarling.

Dani finished putting down the lady and her child, only to turn and see Ash freeze in the ghost's line of sight. Jace was trying to move his friend and was also in danger since he wouldn't just leave his friend behind.

"Ash! Jace!" Dani yelled and shot forward. "RRRAAAHH!" She crashed into the side of the Were-wolf and forced him off his path and into a nearby wall. The sound of both ghosts hitting the wall snapped Ash out of his daze and he let Jace lead him away.

Dani blasted the beast with a few good ecto blasts and dodged a swipe of his claws before freezing him solid and sucking him up in the thermos. Someone ended up asking her where her cousin had been and she said he was busy with something and would be away for a little while. Once she was done, she flew back to a secluded place and then transformed. She needed to find Ash and Jace.

"…I…I don't understand."

Dani froze and slowly turned to look over her shoulder. There was Ash and Jace staring at her, eyes wide. Jace was deathly pale and Ash was frozen in mid speech.

"You're Dani Phantom?"

zzz

**FentonWorks.**

Dani was pacing back and forth, back and forth in her living room. Two sets of eyes were watching her closely, trying to understand what they'd just seen. Her parents were out, having left a note that they'd gone to the store.

"I'm so dumb… I mess everything up… Danny's going to kill me… He'll hate me forever… He warned me about this." Dani mumbled to herself as she paced.

Jace was still pale and Ash was shaking slightly. Right after they'd spoken at the mall, Dani had practically spirited them away to her house against their will. They both flinched when the door opened.

"I'm home! Hello?"

Dani perked up and looked over at the door to see Jazz walk through.

"Dani? Oh! Are you're friends over? Where's mom and dad?"

"Thank God you're here!" Dani yelped and ran over to hug her sister. She beckoned her lower so she could whisper in her ear.

"YOU WHAT!?" Jazz yelled.

Dani shrank back in alarm. Jazz calmed herself and sighed. She then walked over to sit in front of the two still frightened boys and smiled. As Dani came to sit somewhere close by, Jazz sighed.

"Boys, you don't need to be afraid. Settle down and let me tell you one doozy of a story. What I'm going to tell you is really important so please try and pledge secrecy on the matter."

Ash and Jace looked at each other and then Jazz.

"Sam, Tucker, Valerie, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton, myself, and Danny all know these things."

The two seemed to relax a bit and gave one more look towards Dani who was rubbing her hands together and averting her eyes. Honestly Jazz was nervous too, but she was trying to act calm so as to help subconsciously alleviate some of the two younger boys' own anxiety.

"It started when my parents wanted to poke a hole into another dimension. They call it a Ghost Portal."

zzz

**Joliet, Illinois. 7:30 AM.**

"Where are we now?"

"According to my PDA, just south of Chicago in a little place called Joliet."

Danny yawned. "I hope we stop soon. I'm hungry."

Tucker, Sam, and Valerie laughed right as Danny's stomach growled.

"That's probably my ghost half talking."

"Well tell him to be a bit patient."

Danny snickered right before a wall ball smacked into his head, forcing it back some.

"Nice catch, dweeb!"

Danny growled and looked up with his friends to see Dash and Kwan laughing. Danny growled a bit and he could feel the ectoplasm heat up behind his eyes, before he closed them and took a breath. He exhaled completely and then inhaled slowly.

"Danny?" Sam asked.

"I'm just calming myself. Don't worry," Danny replied and opened his blue eyes.

"Okay students!"

Everyone glanced at the front as they felt the bus come to a stop. Lancer was standing up and looking at them.

"We're stopping here for breakfast. There are a few establishments within walking distance, so choose whatever you wish. The rules are, don't go alone and come back close to nine. That's when we'll be leaving. Understand?!"

"Yes, Mr. Lancer." Everyone called out with innocent grins on their faces.

"Then hustle!" Mrs. Telstaff exclaimed.

The students leapt up and headed out of the bus. Oddly enough, it was like the students split into three groups. Dash, Kwan, Paulina, Star, Dinah, Lesley, Tyson, and Alroy formed a group and walked to a nearby Nasty Burger to get something from their breakfast menu. TJ, Brad, Stan, John, and Freddie made their way to a breakfast joint. Finally Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie walked off towards a place Tucker had spotted called Danny's which made breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. Brandon, Lester, Norman, and Mikey wandered off after them. Melanie was left alone and watched the three groups walk off.

"Ya coming… uh… you're name's Melanie, right?"

Melanie looked up in surprise and saw Danny looking back at her over his shoulder. His hand was holding Sam's.

"Me?"

"Ya. I mean… Mr. Lancer didn't want anyone going anywhere alone. You're free to join us."

"Yeah we don't bite." Tucker joked.

"Much." Sam added with a smirk.

Melanie slowly nodded her head and gave a tiny smile before hurrying to catch up to the group. The nine of them walked inside. Danny licked his lips and rushed up to the counter.

"Geez and I thought I liked meat!" Tucker exclaimed.

"What's with Danny?" Mikey asked.

"He's uh… just really hungry. He eats a lot." Sam answered.

"He doesn't look like he eats a lot," Norman added skeptically.

"His metabolism is super fast." Valerie answered quickly. Sam and Tucker gave her a pleased look.

"Whoa! They have french toast!"

Everyone except Danny, who was ordering his third breakfast side, turned to looked at Melanie.

"Oh sorry… was that annoying?" Melanie whimpered.

"No way, French Toast is always something to get excited over." Tucker replied.

"You like French Toast too?" Mikey asked timidly.

"Who doesn't like Fren-Oof" Tucker started only to get elbowed by Valerie.

Melanie smiled at Mikey and vice versa as everyone continued to order their breakfast. Eventually they got their food and all sat at a couple of tables close to each other.

"My word… I think he could out eat half of the football team!" Brandon yelped.

Danny looked like he was hardly breathing as he inhaled his eggs and then a piece of bacon, which was probably true since Danny didn't need to breathe as often.

"Whoa, dude easy! I guess I need to get out of the splash zone," Tucker yelped as a bit of Hash Browns splattered onto his cheek.

"Danny! Slow down, cowboy. Take a breath." Sam laughed and pulled on the back of his shirt. He whimpered to the amusement of the others sitting there.

"Come on Sammm~"

"Take a few breaths and then resume."

"Hhh… fine."

"Hmm… thirty minute warning guys." Norman glanced up at everyone from his watch. After eating for a bit longer, the group paid and then made their way back to the bus. They got back a bit early so they stood and stretched their legs a bit longer. The others wandered off and bit and left Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie on their own near the side of the bus. Lancer was back from finding his own place to eat and noticed the four students talking.

"Does Tucker always jinx things?" Valerie asked.

"Most often," Sam replied.

"Hey! I resent that!" Tucker yelped.

"You've got to admit, Tuck. Almost every time you say something, a ghost pops up and then we all have to fix everything." Danny shrugged but gave Tucker a cheeky grin.

"Geez your confidence in me is overwhelming, dude."

"You think we all have enough equipment?" Valerie asked.

Danny laughed. "I think we have too much. After all, my parents go overboard if that isn't already obvious."

Before Valerie could reply, Tucker spoke. "I'm going to say that Danny jinxed us even more now. I'm calling it! To prove that I'm not the only jinxer! If my jinx happens and there is ghosts, then we'll end up not having enough equipment, so there."

"Sounds like real fun, Tucker," Sam deadpanned.

Lancer turned and leaned against the front of the bus where he was hidden. He was positive now, the four students were hunting ghosts in their free time. The remaining questions he had still lingered though. For starters how long had they been ghost hunters? Did the Fentons know? Did the other parents know? And how did the Phantoms come into the picture? This required more observation and study. He jumped practically a foot in the air when Telstaff blew her accursed whistle. Lancer sighed and calmed himself before preparing to do roll call again. Most everyone had wandered back in the meantime.

Everyone was accounted for and then they boarded the bus and started off again.

zzz

**Bus. St. Louis. 12:30 PM.**

"I'm hungry…"

"Danny… Why are you so hungry? I mean I'm glad you're actually eating like you need to, but usually you aren't. Why now?" Sam asked and looked at her boyfriend skeptically.

Danny paused and furrowed his brows in confusion. "I… huh. I don't know why. That's a good question. For some reason I feel like I just need to eat a bunch."

"Maybe it's because you're powers are getting stronger so you need the extra carbs… OH MAN!" Tucker yelped.

"What!?" Danny almost shouted back. Valerie and Sam looked at him, waiting.

"I lost my last life on Galaga. I was doing so good too…"

Danny hit his head against the empty seat in front of him a few times, Sam glared at Tucker and Valerie slapped the back of his head.

"Ouch!"

"You're going to give us a heart attack," Valerie warned, though it seemed to lack her normal impatience.

"Good news is we'll probably stop soon. It's Lunch time," Tucker replied and actually slipped his PDA into his pocket after laughing nervously at Valerie.

"Good," Danny replied, keeping his head on the cool leather seat.

"We could go to the Falafel House!" Tucker grinned. "They have some good food."

"I think we're all eating there as a class. Something about getting everyone to enjoy each other's company or something revolting like that," Sam grumbled.

"That's my Sam," Danny chuckled and leaned up straight before wrapping his arm around her.

"Hey Dash!"

The four looked forward as Tyson increased his volume.

"I dare you to go into the Wraith Mansion if it's nearby!"

"Tch, some dusty place, no big." Dash boasted.

"Dude! It's supposed to be haunted," Kwan added.

"Yep I wonder if it's haunted like Amity Park is," Alroy questioned.

"Dawg, my Auntie lives near St. Louis, that place is definitely haunted, yo." TJ grunted and folded his arms.

"Dude, you have to do it now," Tyson grinned.

"That would be so brave," Paulina spoke up and batted her eyelashes.

Danny sighed an rolled his eyes at the idea of walking into a ghost's territory. Most ghosts in old mansions just wanted to be left alone because they were attached to their home.

"Really? Are they that daft?" Sam huffed.

"What's the info on Wraith Mansion?" Valerie asked and leaned over to look at Tucker's PDA screen when he whipped it out.

"One moment… Here we go. Mostly it just says the normal things about family that once lived there remain there… Oh that's… Guys?"

"What?" Sam and Danny asked at the same time and looked over to see what Tucker and Valerie were staring at. He turned the device so they could see too.

"Does that kid look familiar?"

Sam was speechless and Danny was gulping for air. In the old time picture sat a younger Klemper, fleshy and very much alive, but Klemper.

"Klemper?" Danny whispered.

"What does it say?" Sam asked.

"It says the rumors say he was the head of the house's deformed brother. Supposedly he had down-syndrome. His name was Zack. They say they just locked him in the attic most of the time." Tucker frowned after he finished.

"That's…" Valerie started.

"Just wrong," Sam sighed.

Danny sighed and looked out the window. "Poor Klemper…"

"At least you've been warming up to him recently," Tucker grinned. "See what I did there…" Valerie looked at him with a deadpan expression, Sam rolled her eyes and Danny was smirking slightly and cocking a brow. "Cause he has… a cold… core? Oh come on, I can't be that bad at jokes!"

Danny laughed. "Naw, you're good man."

Sam elbowed Danny. "Don't encourage him!"

Danny laughed a bit more before he glanced at the ground. "But Klemper…"

"Maybe we could talk to his family?" Valerie asked and frowned when Danny shook his head.

"No most of the time _most _ghosts forget their human names for a reason. Even I kinda did. I did it half-way since I'm half-ghost. I kept Danny and used Phantom instead. We'd probably just be walking into a hornet's nest if we even tried anything." Danny sighed.

Before they could continue their talking, Lancer's voice cut over the voices of everyone there.

"Okay students! We'll be stopping soon for a good Lunch at the Falafel House. Stay together and behave while we eat. We want everyone to know that Casper High can act like civilized people, right?"

Most of the students said yes or grumbled it out. Soon afterwards, the bus stopped and everyone got out. Mr. Lancer and Mrs. Telstaff went to see if there was room for their group to sit and eat. Lancer came back and sighed. "We'll have to wait forty minutes to be seated, so you can all explore so long as you stick in groups and come back in forty minutes or so."

Most all the students sat down to wait, merely enjoying the chance to rest and stretch their legs. Danny and his friends were going to do the same until they saw Dash, Tyson, Kwan, Alroy, Paulina and Dinah walk off.

Danny groaned. "They're going to the Wraith Mansion aren't they?"

"Yep." Tucker spoke and popped the P.

"And they'll probably get some ghosts mad at them, right?" Sam grumbled and rubbed her temples.

"Yep."

"And we have to go and help them since we can't leave them to their own devices?" Valerie sighed.

"Yep."

"Alright, then let's go and get back so I can eat," Danny spoke and stood up. "You guys head that direction… I'll find a place to change."

The other three nodded and walked off behind Dash's group. Danny nodded and went to find a bathroom.

"May I use your bathroom while we wait?"

A clerk who was in charge of getting people seated nodded. "Of course, sir. Over there."

Danny smiled and walked off. Lancer hadn't heard anything the students had said, except for Daniel asking where the bathroom was. That took away any doubt he had had that Daniel was just going to the bathroom the skip class time. He did however see Dash's group wander off, with Daniel's friends trailing them. Maybe they were just curious about the ghosts from Wraith Mansion like Dash and his friends had mentioned in the bus… Having the deep suspicion that those four students were indeed ghost hunting made Lancer wonder how to approach the issue. Did he stop them if he thought they were off the hunt a ghost? If he was wrong about his theories it could come back in his face in more than one way. For now he'd have to keep watching.

zzz

**Wraith Mansion.**

"Dude, this place just looks like a dump," Dash muttered as he and his group stood on the steps.

"Then go in," Tyson grinned.

"That's trespassing if they're closed," Kwan spoke.

"Uh it's a bed and breakfast. They're never closed," Alroy spoke up.

"Let's go then. I wanna see if they have ghosts too," Tyson explained before nudging Dash.

Dash flinched and then scowled. "Fine, let's go."

"We'll be in the lobby, looking around," Paulina spoke and waved at the jocks. Dinah smirked venomously and rolled her eyes as the boys walked off.

"Guys are too easy to mess with," Dinah spoke to Paulina.

"Most anyways," Paulina grumbled.

"What you still hung up on that loser Fenton turning you down?" Dinah asked. "He just has bad taste. He's a loser, remember?"

"The school seems to be liking him though and the nerds and geeks are starting to flock to him and to his geek squad. We can't handle an uprising."

"Tch."

"Dinah, you didn't see him when he lead us against that pirate ghost. He was still a loser, but he can get people to listen when he tries hard enough."

"Don't sweat it, girl. It'll fade."

"Hopefully," Paulina grumbled.

A screech suddenly pierced the air just as a few more people ran up to the mansion's steps. Patrons started fleeing from the building.

"That sounded like Dash," Paulina whispered.

"He was dumb and decided to go mess with ghosts."

Paulina and Dinah whipped around to come face to face with Sam, Valerie, and Tucker.

"What are you doing here, Manson?"

"Well, we have ecto-weapons, so unless you wanna leave Dash and his buddies to the lions…"

"You're packing?" Dinah asked, eyes wide.

"Always," Valerie replied sharply.

"It's in the top floor… now three… five… It's got to be the whole Wraith family," Tucker expressed, typing on his PDA.

"Wait, Phantom!?" Paulina suddenly yelled. The five students looked up to see Danny Phantom swoop into the top of the building.

"Just get out of here, we know what we're doing," Sam snapped and then ran inside the practically empty building. Tucker and Valerie ran after her.

Paulina and Dinah stood there for a moment.

"Now what?" Dinah asked.

Paulina glowered. "I'm going to see Invisobil er… Phantom."

The two girls ran inside the building as well.

A few flights of stairs was what they all had to climb to get to the action.

Phantom was standing in front of a cowering blue ghost in pajamas, Dash and his crew were backed against the wall behind the two, looking pale, Sam was growling at the ghosts, Valerie was readying some sort of wrist weapon and Tucker was standing with his hand brushing over the handle of a ecto-gun that was now somehow in his pocket.

"You always mess everything up! You little wretch!" One of the ghosts yelled and wailed.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorrrrryyyy!" Klemper wailed and sobbed behind Danny's legs.

Danny snapped, "Stop yelling at him! He was trying to help out."

"He should know better though!" One of the old ghosts grumbled. "You can't scare humans too bad or they come to chase you out!"

"Yeah, making it snow indoors and making the blond baby cry out was too much! Now they'll chase us form OUR home!" Another spoke.

"Hey!" Dash yelped, hurt at the blond baby jab.

Danny growled, ignoring the student. "You left him in an attic for most of his life! I honestly think you _deserve_ to be vacated!"

The eldest ghost in the family narrowed his eyes. "You have a large mouth on you, lad. You've only been dead for a few years and you come along and start demanding things of us!? We've been here for generations!"

"Generations!"

"Hundreds of years!"

They chorused.

Danny didn't flinch at their shouts. "How'd you know I've only been dead for a while?"

"You don't smell of death… It's a thing all ghosts can tell about one another in passing."

"Not that you ever will," Sam whispered to Danny who only shivered.

"That would be awkward," He whispered back and Sam had to fight back a laugh.

"Zack, get out," John suddenly spoke up.

Klemper whimpered. "But brother…"

Tucker frowned and spoke softly next to Valerie. "So he _is_ his brother."

"No buts! This is the final straw!"

Klemper wailed in torment. "No no no no no!" The ground started to get covered in ice and Paulina and Dinah let out a scream each as the door behind them froze solid.

Danny frowned and looked at the Wraith family. "Look maybe this is for the best… Obviously you're all obsessed with this home, maybe too much. Leaving might free you all. You can't possibility be behaving the way you used to in life."

John growled but then glanced at Kelmper for a moment before a sad look came to his eyes.

"You still love your family. Just try and let go and forgive one another…"

"Silence you! You don't know how long it takes to build a reputable living and family. The moment he came into our lives was the moment all our work fell apart!" One of the older specters grumbled.

Danny hissed and he could feel his eyes alight with energy.

"Leave now. We'll hide for years in the home if we must and then people will forget…" One of the older ladies spoke up.

"This isn't right," Danny replied.

"HE isn't right," The oldest ancestor replied again. That did it.

Danny lunged at the oldest ghost in the family and the two started rolling and fighting on the floor. The elder spirit obviously wasn't good at brawling like Danny was and continued to curse and shout as the two tussled. Sam and Valerie jumped into action and started to fire at the others that went to attack them. Tucker watched Danny a bit more closely and fire at any of the family that tried to double team Danny.

The old ghost roared and landed a solid rage fueled punch on Danny's chest, sending him flying backwards and slamming into the back wall between Dash and his friends.

"Phantom!" Klemper shouted in worry. "Friend!"

At the name Phantom, everything halted.

"Zack… did you say Phantom?" John whispered.

Klemper blinked and looked away before floating over to Danny who was standing up again and looking around in confusion. "Yeah, Phantom's… my friend."

Danny looked at Klemper and smiled.

"Phantom, the Bane of Pariah?"

Everyone glanced over at the family who was whispering and speaking to each other.

"Uh… I guess?" Danny replied.

The elder ghost flinched at Danny's voice but spoke. "You're wanting us to leave?"

Danny frowned. "Well I think it would be best. You can be free and your obsession may lessen. You're personalities would become less hostile. That and be nicer to Zack… That's what I'm asking for."

John looked like he was going to say something but the older ghost, the eldest spoke. "Fine, we'll leave as you say, Phantom."

In a flurry of movement and various shouts and cries, the Wriath family was gone.

"Bye," Klemper murmured.

Danny sighed and put a hand on Klemper's shoulder. "Sorry, Klemper…"

"It's okay. Family's a funny thing. It's not always what you think it'll be. That's the one thing I learned when I was alive," Klemper mumbled and smiled at Danny. "I'll see you around in Amity, Mr. Phantom. I hope you enjoy your trip!"

Danny flinched at Klemper mentioning a trip but smiled. "Yeah, see ya. I'll have to have you and Dani learn some more ice techniques soon."

"Oh boy!" Klemper laughed and then flew away and out of the home.

Danny concentrated as the ice in the room started to melt.

"Phantom?"

Danny glanced over at Dash's confused face while Sam, Tucker, and Valerie put up their weapons.

"Yeah?"

"What was that all about?"

Danny shrugged. "It's complicated… has to do with territory disputes and… cruelty." Danny glanced over at the jock purposefully, somewhat hoping that stress on the word _cruelty_ would penetrate the jock's skull. No such luck.

"What are you doing here then? Not that I'm not happy to see my hero."

Sam rolled her eyes at that.

"I'm taking a trip to visit some… ghosts…. Dani's got Amity Park in the meantime."

"Oh."

Danny grunted after that ice had melted. "Alright, bye then." He then flew through the roof to get back to the bathroom he'd changed in.

Sam, Valerie, and Tucker shrugged and walked out of the room to walk back to Falafel House.

"Since when do the geeks know how to use ghost weapons?" Alroy asked no one in particular.

"I don't know… something's up," Dinah huffed.

"And where was Fenton?" Dash grumbled.

Paulina narrowed her eyes. "Good question."

"Maybe we should tell Mr. Lancer that they have weapons," Kwan offered nervously.

"No way! If they haven't been caught with them before they won't now, plus then we'll never figure out what's going on," Tyson argued.

**-beep- -beep-**

"Oh uh guys, my watch says we need to get back. Our wait's up," Kwan spoke.

begrudgingly the six of them left and headed back for the restaurant.

zzz

**Falafel House. 1:10 PM.**

"These beef kabobs are awesome!" Tucker declared as he worked on his third skewer.

Sam frowned and popped another piece of falafel in her mouth. Danny noticed she wasn't enjoying watching Tucker eat so he decided to distract her.

"Can I try one?"

Sam paused and looked over to see Danny smiling at her. She smiled back at his attempt and then picked a piece from her plate to pass it to him. Instead of putting his hand out, he opened his mouth. She blinked before poking the falafel in his mouth. Danny hummed in pleasure before reaching over and sticking a chip into his hummus he'd ordered. He then reached over to her with it. Sam flushed a bit before opening her mouth and letting Danny do the same action to her.

"I'm glad I at least have a girlfriend. Otherwise I think I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from hurling at that mushiness," Tucker spoke suddenly, almost making Sam choke.

"Tucker, you seriously are the worst at timing," Valerie sighed and picked a piece of the meat on his half-finished kabob off the skewer. She ate it without a second thought.

"Wow, a subconscious indirect kiss."

Valerie froze and looked over at Sam in surprise who was smiling like a cheshire cat now that she'd stopped herself from choking.

Valerie blinked and then looked over at Tucker who actually blushed and looked away.

"Tucker acting shy? It's the end of the freaking world," Sam added.

Danny snorted at that. "Be careful what you wish for."

"I didn't say I wished for it."

"How about we don't even say that word, ever. It's safer."

Sam opened her mouth and then closed it. "You know… that's a good idea."

Everyone else at the clustered tables for the Casper High students were laughing and enjoying themselves greatly. As everyone continued to eat, Danny's four friends talked with the nerds, and the neutrals a good deal. The A-list talked with the neutrals but threw a few spoonfuls of food at the nerds and once at Danny who ducked in time.

Mr. Lancer had immediately halted the action from going further since he certainly wasn't going to let Casper High's name be spoiled on the trip down to the Ozarks at least. Once they were in the woods, he wouldn't burden himself as much, unless he saw a blatant issue.

"What are we even going to do in the mountains?" Dash asked suddenly.

"Well Mr. Baxter, we plan to hike, swim, participate in group activities and various other things one does when camping, what else?" Lancer asked with slight sarcasm.

After they finished eating and paying, everyone got up and was ready to get back on the bus after spending about an hour and a half in the restaurant.

zzz

**South of Springfield Missouri. 5:10 PM.**

It was around two and a half hours before they found themselves south of Springfield. There they found a few places to eat dinner. Eating dinner took around an hour to eat since those places weren't as busy. Mr. Lancer and Mrs. Telstaff then told the students that they would be stopping at a FloorStore for snacks. They were allowed thirty minutes to buy what they wanted to take on the trip.

It was there were Danny, Tucker, and Valerie were following behind Sam in surprise and gratitude as she explained everything they could and couldn't buy, what would keep for a week and what would go bad.

"We can get pasta and rice so long as we start a fire and can boil water. Dried fruits and nuts as well." Sam explained happily as they walked through the isles and picked up medium sized packets and boxes of the foods Sam was mentioning. She paused and looked over the three following her. "And then of course there's oatmeal and cream of wheat."

"I'm going to get jerky," Tucker suddenly said when he realized what was missing. Valerie sighed and disappeared with him to make sure he wouldn't buy too much.

"We can get granola bars too oh and water, tea and coffee," Sam spoke. She turned to see why Danny was so quiet when she saw him holding marshmallows, peanut butter, chocolate bars, and gram crackers. She smiled when he huffed.

"Do not tell my dad I did this or it will only encourage him."

"You really are like your parents."

Danny visibly flinched. "Ouch. How would you feel if I said that about you?"

"You'd never know, because you'd soon be dead."

Danny laughed nervously. "You mean all the way?"

"All the way, ghost boy."

Danny gulped. "I'll shut up now."

"Very good idea." Sam then smiled to make sure Danny knew to relax and that of course she was kidding. He only smiled back at her and then reached to grab at some of the bags burdening her.

"I don't need help."

"I know. Do you want it though?"

Sam sighed and then passed a bag to Danny. She glanced down at her watch. "Oh SNAP!"

"WHAT!?" Danny flinched and his body tensed due to his instincts.

"DANNY WE'VE LITERALLY GOT LIKE FIVE MINUTES TO CHECK OUT AND GET BACK TO THE BUS!"

Danny gulped and grabbed the other bags.

"I've got super strength just go with it this time find Tucker and Valerie and meet me at the check outlines!" Danny rambled, smashing the words into almost one continuous word.

Sam nodded, somehow able to understand him. He turned and dashed towards the front of the market while Sam dashed towards the back trying to find their other two friends. She skidded around a corner to find… them giving each other a kiss.

"Ugh… Next time I've got to remind me and Danny to go somewhere private. TUCKER VALERIE! WE'VE GOT TO GO! NOW!"

Tucker cried out in shocked and flailed before crashing into and pyramid of cans. Valerie was blushing like crazy from Sam finding them and then she face palmed before pulling Tucker out from under the tin cans. She practically drug her boyfriend through the store to find Danny at the counter. Valerie passed up the Jerky and a couple other dried meats Tucker had found before, up to Danny who then paid.

"Eidolon money?" Sam asked in a hushed whisper with a smirk playing on her lips. Danny only smiled.

Soon the four friends were running to the bus only to find something else was holding the whole group up.

"But But But…"

"No buts Paulina. There's no greek yogurt, no fresh fruits. We can't bring anything that can spoil without refrigeration." Lancer explained, exasperated.

It seemed like the A-listers and a few of the neutrals had make a few mistakes in picking out their food.

"Then what are we supposed to do with all this food?" Dash asked grumpily and crossed his arms.

Danny frowned and then looked over his shoulder to see a young homeless couple sitting on the side of the highway. He placed his bags down and walked over.

"Uh I have an idea."

"What kinda of idea could you possibly have, Fentonio?" Dash huffed.

Danny frowned and rolled his eyes right as Lancer spoke.

"How about we listen first Mr. Baxter, before we jump to conclusions." Lancer glanced at Danny. "Daniel?"

Danny looked over at the homeless couple and Lancer and the others followed his gaze.

"No way, Fenton. We paid for this stuff!"

Danny whipped his head around and had to really try hard not to make his eyes glow in anger. "So it would be a _waste_ of someone's money to _help_ them out?"

Sam stalked up and shoved money into Dash's and one of the neutral's hands. "There happy?"

Danny smiled at his girlfriend before he picked up the food and walked over to the couple. Everyone watched from a distance as the two people looked at each other and then Danny in surprise before a big smile crossed both their faces. They'd at least be able to eat most of it before it went bad. Soon Danny was walking back over with a large goofy smile on his own face.

"So let's get this show on the road."

"I've already put our sacks in the undercarriage," Valerie explained.

Danny nodded as Sam and Tucker moved with him to enter the bus. After a few more minutes, everyone was on board. The bus was a bit quiet as they drove off. It was most likely because the sun was starting to get low and everyone was tired. Most were talking quietly since everyone's energy was down. Danny did notice however that Dash was looking out the window with a scowl on his face. It wasn't one of anger however Danny noted from the emotions in the air, but one of deep thought.

zzz

**Ozark Camping and Hiking Park. 8:55 PM.**

Most everyone was half asleep when they finally got to the park. The four friends in the back looked like they were curled into one group hug. Danny's head was resting over Sam's, Tucker was face planting into Danny's arm, with his own arm around Valerie's shoulders, who's head had ended up in the crook of her boyfriend's neck.

Lancer announced they were finally there and that they would sleep in the emptied bunkers the pitstop provided until tomorrow to start hiking into the unknown. The boys and girls split up for the night. They got ready for bed so a good sleep could start them off on a good foot for the days of traveling ahead.

zzz

**Amity Park. 11:00 PM.**

A young figure ran through the alley ways, guarding a small glowing form. After trudging through the light rain shower that had come she found herself in front of FentonWorks.

**-Knock- -Knock- -Knock-**

Finally Maddie Fenton opened the door.

"Danielle Fenton! Where have you been!?" Maddie yelped when she saw her soaked younger daughter. The wet blue hood slipped off Dani's head and a sheepish grin stretched across her face. "Would you be surprised if I said it was a ghost's fault?"

Maddie frowned. "You called me earlier after you'd taken Jace and Ash home, after that whole debacle. You said you were on your way home." Jace and Ash had seemed to take the big secret pretty well, even though Jazz had not told them that Dani was a clone and that instead she'd been visiting when Danny had walked into the portal and gotten zapped herself as well. There were inconsistencies in Jazz's explanation but he older girl had doubted that the two boys would figure it that out.

"I know, but something came up!"

"Well come in and tell me what in the world was so important you had to give your mother a heart attack."

Dani gulped and wandered in. She plopped down on the couch which elicited a yelp from the lump in her sweatshirt.

Maddie cocked a brow.

Cujo's head then popped up next to Dani's in her sweatshirt and he licked her face. Dani giggled and Maddie opened her mouth in slight surprise.

"Can we keep him!?" Dani cried out in ernest. "Danny always said you guys wouldn't let him have a dog since it was dangerous for it to be around ectoplasm, but Cujo EATS ectoplasm. He could clean up the lab, I'd feed him and clean him and play with him! PLEASE MOM!?" Dani had almost squished poor Cujo at that point and was he squirming in Dani's arms.

Maddie's face went from surprised to amused.

"I guess you successfully found a loop-hole. I never told Danny we couldn't keep a dead dog."

* * *

**What did you think? I thought it would be fun and a little original to describe the actual journey to the Field Trip's location.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**The Talent: I'm curious to know where you get the quotes for the beginning of every chapter. Do you already know them or look them up?**

**NoSignal: I look them up. It usually only takes a few minutes to find one though I'm very careful to. I want to make sure I choose a good quote to symbolize the chapter.**

**transmetaljohn: Also, in this chapter you mentioned that the Observants have the Ring of Rage in a vault. How did it get there? Pariah Dark was still wearing the ring when he was resealed, and Vlad still has the Skeleton Key which can open it. Do the Observants have some other method of getting the ring without releasing Pariah Dark? Considering what happened when Pariah was released, I can see why they would want to remove the Ring of Rage from him even though its useless without the Crown of Fire, but how they did it is the question. Do you have an explanation as to how the Observants got the Ring of Rage in their possession?**

**NoSignal: In one of the chapters, though it was brief, it mentioned that they had technology that allowed them to remove the ring from the sarcophagus. It's general really and actually for the overall story, it wouldn't matter if the ring was still in there or with the Observants. I just needed to spread out certain objects so that it would take longer for Malus to find them and thus make it a bit more likely it would take months for him to become a problem. :)**

**Great: PS I wonder will the ghosts follow Danny to the field trip or will they wreck havoc in Amity?**

**NoSignal: Hmm... I guess we'll have to see. ;)**

**NoSignal to Starlin's Ghost: Thanks once again for a wonderful review!**

**NoSignal to FantomoDrako and Kattyllin: Thanks so much! I'm so glad you like the story so much :) It makes me so proud and happy.**

**LunaTheBlackWolf: I wish there were more guys in the world like Danny. Most of the ones I know are like Dash; bunch of douches...**

**NoSignal: Yeah I wish there were more kind people than there are. But as the start of the story states: We can only control our own actions and not the actions of others. We must control our own behavior most importantly. :)**

**DuskWhite: So I know that blood blossoms were mentioned in chapter 12, but will they ever actually make an appearance in the story? (Love the story in general by the way! I read it in my free time and I really enjoy it!)**

**NoSignal: Yes I'm pretty sure they will. I'm kinda fuzzy about when they will, but they will. :) And thank you! I'm so glad you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Thanks everyone for your support and patience! I hope I can continue to entertain you :)**

**~ NoSignal**


	14. Day One: Ozarks

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter.**

**The schedule is still a chapter every one and a half to two weeks.**

**I hope you enjoy this one.**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_True friends are those who came into your life, saw the most negative part of you, but are not ready to leave you…__"__ ~ Paraphrased from Michael Bassey Johnson._

ooo

"_Oh, you are not?! Using your powers to get back at people you don't like? Throwing the first punch? You are more like me than you know!"_

"_What's that? Is that- is that free will?"_

"_I think it's too late. Bye Danny… Thanks for…"_

"_Aha ha ha ha ha! Oh, you are such a child! You promised?"_

"_What? That I used two fifteen year old pawns to turn a knight and topple a king? It's chess Daniel. Of course you don't understand."_

"_But then, you never really did…"_

ooo

Danny woke up with a gasp and took a few deep breaths. It had been a while since he had had a nightmare like that and he worked to try and calm his anxious nerves quickly. It helped that Tucker was already sitting on his bed fiddling with his PDA until the dark-skinned boy had noticed his friend was awake.

"Oh good, I wasn't certain if I needed to wake you up. You were like squirming, but you weren't screaming like you have before. You okay, dude?"

Danny blinked at his friend before he smiled ruefully. "Yeah I'm good. Just an unpleasant nightmare. Nothing… big I guess." He looked around the bunker and noticed everyone else was sleeping soundly. "What time is it?"

Tucker smirked before he yawned. "Four fifteen in the morning. We're scheduled to leave here in a couple hours. Lancer should be up in another thirty or forty minutes."

Danny's face fell. "You didn't have to get up, Tucker. You've got to be tired."

"And you aren't?"

"Touche."

Tucker shook his head. "Dude it's okay. I mean yeah some more sleep would be nice, but I couldn't sleep when I felt you all emotionally distressed."

Danny blinked. "Wait, you felt…"

"I think our physic link thing we have with you and your telekinesis is getting stronger. I bet you like fifty bucks that Sam woke up and is worried. Valerie probably even felt something, even if she didn't wake up."

Danny looked down at the sheets around his waist and sighed before swinging his legs over the side. "I guess we get dressed before everyone?"

"Sounds good. I definitely want to get a shower in before everyone else and before we leave, since we won't be seeing indoor plumbing until the trip is over. See? No harm done. Your insomnia can be useful!"

Danny only chuckled lightly and smiled at his best guy friend with appreciation. "How about I let you go first. I won't even cheat like I do with Jazz and fly through the walls."

"Thank you for your kind consideration. I had planned on using a thermos to stop you."

"Tuck!"

Tucker only laughed as he disappeared into adjoining shower room. Danny started to gather his own clothes for the day and made sure to find the bug spray in his bag. Parachuting into Arkansas to return his parents' anniversary gift had taught him to never come to a place like this without it. He'd itched for a week. It wasn't ten minutes before Tucker came out and Lancer started to stir. Danny hurried off to take his own shower, while Lancer checked over the schedule. Norman and Brandon had started to wake up by then and were chatting with Tucker to get more awake.

Danny came out after that, drying his hair with a towel. Soon the rest of the boy's bunker started to stir and get up. It was somewhat odd, just because it was sorta peaceful. Either everyone was too busy trying to get ready or they were too tired to cause even a small amount of drama yet. Danny was sure it wouldn't last long, but it was enjoyable for the time being.

Lancer eventually opened the bunker's door, permitting students who were outside to mingle and vice versa. Sam immediately walked into the guys' bunker and spotted Danny before walking over.

"Are you okay?"

Danny smiled before Tucker spoke.

"Told ya dude." Danny frowned slightly and then looked back at Sam. He was interrupted again by Tucker.

"I had it. Just a nightmare is what he said," Tucker answered the girl's question before starting to stuff the last of his things in his large pack.

Sam rolled her eyes and looked at Danny. "Is that true?"

Danny smiled again and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine Sam. I was surprised to wake up to Tucker sitting on the foot of my bed, but yeah I'm good."

"Nightmare?" Valerie asked once she walked up. She glanced over to see Tucker trying valiantly to cram one last bit of clothing into his pack; he'd started trying to jump on the pack to close it. She smiled fondly and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah it happens. I think I would be worried if I didn't have them from time to time," Danny spoke and then yawned. "We still have coffee?"

Sam smiled. "Wanna cup?"

"Oh please. Me too," Valerie nodded.

So the four wandered outside after Danny had subtly used his super strength to pack his and Tucker's hiking packs. They placed their four bags in a pile as they started to kindle one of the pits in the encampment. It would be another thirty minutes before everyone gathered to hear what their plans were for the day as well as the rules while they were in the wilderness.

Sam had pulled out the coffee, powered creamer and sugar while they waited for the water they'd gotten from one of the faucets to boil. Soon the four friends were drinking coffee, Sam and Valerie had theirs black, Danny had a bit of cream in his and Tucker had dumped a tad too much cream and sugar into his for any of his friends' tastes. They ended up even fixing a cup for Mr. Lancer, Mrs. Tetslaff, Norman, and Richard. Danny had thought he'd seen Paulina and Dinah look at their pot longingly, but wouldn't be caught dead receiving hand-outs from the losers.

Danny and his friends were able to put up their pot and everything, by the time everyone had gathered. They pulled out their own granola bars for energy and slipped a bottle water each into the pockets on the sides of their packs.

Mr. Lancer and Mrs. Tetslaff got everyone's attention and started to talk. Mrs. Tetslaff started talking first.

"Alright ladies." The guys in the large group all frowned in annoyance when she didn't add, gents. "This is what we're going to do for today! I know this trail like the back of my hand, so for the first day, we're going to travel, with some breaks at predetermined times, before we reach a meadow next to the trail that is a well known place to set up tents. This is where we'll stop for the night."

She paced a bit and turned sharply to face them once more. "Here are some important tips. First, make sure you're wearing some kind of bug spray or deterrent, unless you want our time together to be the worst days of your life."

Paulina raised her hand and Mrs. Tetslaff sighed. "Yes, Sanchez?"

"But bug spray is greasy and smelly and gets in my moisturized hair." Star, Megan, Lesley, and Dinah all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Tough shi-" Tetslaff started but then saw Lancer send her a glare. "Tough stuff, missy! It's either the grease or the welts, your choice."

Paulina pouted in frustration as Tetslaff continued. "Now where was I, oh yes! Poison Oak and Poison Ivy is next." She looked over everyone. "Can anyone tell me what Eastern Poison Ivy looks like?"

Sam immediately raised her hand.

"Yes, Manson?"

"The plant tends to have groups of three leaves going up the branch complete with leaflet stems. The leaves have serrated type edges as well. The vines do not twine up trees and have hairy appendages that are aerial roots."

Tetslaff smiled slightly. "Exactly correct, Manson. Now anyone know about Eastern Poison Oak?"

Norman rose his hand next.

"Yes Mr. Brown?"

"They are short shrubs that have leaves shaped similarly to oak leaves, however they had downy hairs that make it look velvety. They tend to be found in gravely areas."

"Very good. Next, I hope everyone brought some sunscreen. Fourth, When we stop at certain places and find sources of water there are some things to remember. First, always… ALWAYS boil your water. Unless you want to be puking out your guts and-or getting a case of the backdoor trots, Boil boil boil! Now another thing that's more of a preference is to make sure to get clear water. You can boil muddy water and make it drinkable, but it will be warm muddy water no matter how much you boil it. Clear water, boiled, will taste better. In my opinion though, some mud gives it flavor!"

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie all shared a withering glance as Tetslaff rambled on. The four of them knew these things, mostly from either experience or necessity.

"Next, buddy system. Make sure to stay with at least one other person. I single human being can survive on their own, but their sanity might not if left in the wilderness for too long."

Tetslaff put her hands on her hips. "Do not approach wild animals. We are not visiting a petting zoo. Be mindful of snakes that are quite amazingly camouflaged in this environment. Do NOT eat any plants or mushrooms of any kind unless you have permission from one of us after properly identifying the specimen. I think Lancer said something about this being possible extra credit for any of the science courses." She gave everyone a hard look.

"Last but not least… EVERYONE, will be carrying their own weight. We have quite a ways to go, but by the end of this trip you will know a sense of satisfaction from having conquered this trail! UNDERSTOOD!?"

Everyone nodded.

"UNDERSTOOOD!?" Tetslaff tried again.

"UNDERSTOOD!" Everyone yelped back.

"Good, Mr. Lancer… anything you want to add?"

Lancer coughed and stepped forward. "Well you already heard about identification being a possibility for extra credit for science courses. I've taken the liberty of also making my own idea for english courses. If you'd like a fifteen point increase in your marks, I would like a short piece of writing or a poem that reflects the spirit of Henry David Thoreau or Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is due the Wednesday after we get back home. That's all... Oh! And behave."

Everyone nodded at that as everyone else who hadn't pulled their packs onto their backs, did so. Lancer and Tetslaff did the same. With Tetslaff taking the lead and Lancer trailing to the back, the group made off towards the trail.

"Onward, to the rawness of the wilderness!"

Danny sighed through a smile that was on his face. He was hopeful that sometime during the trip and after, he could rack up some of those bonus points for his grades. He'd learned quite a bit about plants from Sam, sometimes voluntarily and other times involuntarily. He'd gained a bit of interest in botany after the whole fiasco with the Blood Blossoms in Salem and wanted to make sure there weren't any other plants or things that could harm a ghost. The only other flower that did damage, that they knew of, was the legendary Aglaophotis, a supposed member of the peony family. During their own studies, they'd actually gotten the opportunity to learn about some of the foliage of the Ghost Zone as well. Turns out the Lotus trees mentioned in Homer's Odyessy are somewhat abundant there, making lost travelers, desperate for the fruit, more likely to stay in the Zone until a ghost or the zone itself drained them of their life. There was Man-eating trees and Vampire Melons too. There was also Raskovnik plant which allowed ghosts to unlock or uncover anything, if they were fortunate enough to discover a large patch of it; sort of like a temporary one use Skeleton Key. During their time of learning all these things, Sam had even added Ghost plant or Indian pipe plants to her greenhouse. Even Tucker had thought it was neat, given his aversion to plants and vegetables in general. As for the writing Danny could do for English, well… Danny could be pretty deep when he wanted to be. It shouldn't be too much to get a good deal of credit from these opportunities.

"Sometimes Tetslaff reminds me too much of my Aunt Alicia…"

"Now that would be embarrassing. To run into her…" Tucker murmured.

"Don't even joke about that," Danny hissed.

Tucker only smiled as the four fell into a comfortable pace close but not at the back of the line of students.

zzz

**Amity Park. 10:00 AM.**

"So what's it like, you know… to fly?"

Dani paused from her next bite into the Nasty Burger she was holding. She was hanging out with Ash and Jace and they'd been awkwardly but slowly starting to get used to the idea of knowing Dani Phantom. Jazz had informed her that it would possibly take a bit of time, since Ash and Jace didn't have history with her like Sam and Tucker had had with Danny before his own accident.

"Flying?" Dani asked and stared down at her dripping burger in thought.

"Yeah you know, like flipping through the air and stuff," Ash continued. Jace was quiet and simply listening. He could be very observant at times; it seemed to be his defense mechanism to most things he was intellectually unfamiliar with. Unlike Jazz, who flipped out regarding things she didn't know or got wrong, Jace got very quiet and serious and would ask questions only when needed.

"Flying is… well… I think you'd have to ask Danny about that… I mean…" Dani was slightly panicking. She'd been _born_ with the ability to fly, being a half-ghost since birth. Danny would be the one that could say what the difference between not flying and being given the ability to fly was like. She had to say something though. "Well… The best way I can describe it is that it's like swimming only you don't have to hold your breath. It's much colder thought than being in the water, especially the higher in the air you go."

Ash nodded and popped a fry into his mouth. "What about ice powers? Can you make stuff with it? Like swords and weapons and things?"

"Well technically yes, but I'm still learning to do some of that from Danny…"

"How come he got a handle on his powers quicker than you?"

Another tough question. Dani racked her brain for something, anything. She smiled and perked up when she found a reasonable answer. "He had his friends and sister to help him practice and test his abilities. When I went back home to Arkansas after visiting, I had no one to help me, so I got behind in my abilities. Danny's been a great help though."

Ash smiled. "I'm starting to understand why you didn't mind my white hair now." He gave her a mischievous smirk which caused Dani to blush, though she didn't understand what that meant. Jace sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Well yeah…"

"It also explains why you thought I was your brother when we bumped into each other."

"Yep."

Ash nodded and looked over at Jace who smiled. Ash glanced back at Dani with a grin. "Well what do you think your brother and his friends would say to having a couple new members to Team Phantom? Or is that too much to ask, being the noobies and all?"

Dani looked at them in surprise. She'd had the slight worry that they had come here to hang out because they were scared of her and what she'd do if they stopped talking to her. She'd been partially expecting them to maybe say that they'd keep her secret but didn't want to be her friend anymore. This question was definitely a surprise.

"Part of Team Phantom?"

Jace shook his head and elbowed Ash. "I told you you'd be jumping into things too quick. There's no way-"

"Of course!"

Jace and Ash froze and blinked at their friend. Jace opened his mouth. "Wait what?"

Ash grinned like a cheshire cat and glanced at Jace sideways. "What was that Jace? Did you hear that? I think she let us into Team Phantom."

Jace grumbled something that sounded like, '...preventing Ash and his ego from growing like a weed.'

"Of course Danny will probably flip out and try to tell you all the horrible ways you could die to make you reconsider since he's so afraid of someone getting hurt and Sam will probably give you a few death threats to make sure you stay quiet. Jazz will try to give you a silly code name and mom and dad will most likely make you feel awkward in some way… Cujo will probably slobber all over you..." She looked back at them after staring at the ceiling. "But other than that… I'd love you guys to be apart of my world."

Jace smiled and Ash grinned. "Do we get to shoot stuff?" Jace slapped the back of the boy's head.

"Do you have to always be an imbecile?" Jace asked in frustration.

Ash grabbed the bottle of ketchup and turned before squirting a bit of it at Jace's shirt.

"ACK! ASHTON P. KAPPEL, YOU ARE THE MOST ANNOYING- HEY WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE RUNNING OFF TO!?"

Ash had yanked Dani out of the chair after his trick and ran out of the door of the restaurant, seeing that they'd already paid for the fast food.

After a couple blocks, the two stopped and bent over to catch their breath. They'd both been laughing the whole way.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Ash snickered.

"Yeah, like DUR!" Dani replied and made a face of shock.

They waited quietly and caught their breath some more before Dani spoke again.

"Do you think he'll find us soon? Or should we go back and get him?" Dani asked.

Ash blinked. "Are you mad!? He'll figure out some ingenious way of embarrassing the crap out of us. The only way I've ever kept my head above water for knowing him for so long is because I can surprise him."

Dani smirked. "Are we admitting, Mr. Kappel, that we aren't quite as clever?"

Ash flushed red in embarrassment. "I'm clever! Just not… you know… strategically so."

Dani laughed and then Ash started to laugh more softly.

"Okay, okay, we'll go find him. He'll probably be at a laundry mat. He can't walk around for more than five seconds with that shirt on so long as it's stained," Ash spoke.

"That's very true. Except when in fact I'm not forced to wear _that_ shirt."

A water balloon smashed into the back of Ash's head after the two teens heard the voice. Water dripped down the back of Ash's neck and back along his spine and sides, even his rear and pant legs were soaked. His face turned tomato red in embarrassment, coupled with frustration.

"Have an accident, Ashton?" Jace asked as he stepped out to where they could both see him. There was no stain on his shirt.

"How'd-" Dani started.

"I anticipated his antics. I have a spare shirt in my satchel," Jace replied swiftly.

Dani narrowed her eyes. "Oh, you're good…"

"It's a called a backpack, Jason K. Eldridge…" Ash murmured.

"Oh so now we're using full names. Am I in trouble?" Jace asked and batted his eyelashes.

"You started it! You used my full name first," Ash replied.

Dani started to laugh at their bickering, until she gasped and a wisp of blue ice came from her mouth. Both boys turned to face her.

"Huh-oh."

"Yes Huh-oh indeed Ghost girl!"

The three kids whipped around to look at the darkened alley behind them. In moments a strange robotic being emerged from the shadows. He was mostly grey with some blue and green accents. He had a lean build with sharp shoulders, fingers, and boots. His design was similar to the Red Huntress' armor and his head was shaped similarly, only much thinner. Two green eyes glowed within the Y shaped opening on the helmet and a tiny brain floated in the liquid housed in the top of the helmet's shape.

Dani furrowed her brows and scratched her head as she transformed.

Jace and Ash shared a look. "Still going to have to get used to that." Jace only nodded.

"Who the heck are you, Tin can?" Dani spoke and floated off the ground some as she pulled her thermos from her discarded bag.

The robot watched her carefully and didn't seem worried about her holding the thermos.

"Of course you would not recognize me… I am Technus 3.0, Master of all Technology." Right after he'd spoken, Technus aimed his arm at Dani and fired a laser beam. It struck the young half's chest and sent her plowing into Ash and Jace and forcing them to tumble onto the street.

Dani gasped when she saw that Jace and Ash were semi-hurt and trying to stand. Technus was already aiming again, only this time rockets popped up on either side of his arm. She flung up a ectoplasmic shield at the last moment as the rockets exploded against it.

Dani was confused. Technus? Technus was funny, blabbed on about his schemes, was sometimes as easy as point and suck with the thermos. Technus wasn't… like this.

"Technus? Is that really you? What happened!?" Dani yelled.

Technus only smirked with his eyes, since he had no mouth. "Ah ghost girl, why… I've updated. Mellowed out even more of my lingering human emotions. I've also gotten better at not saying what my plans are. Like right now, other than destroying you… I will not disclose what my next course of action will be."

Dani blinked in worry. "Crap… this isn't good."

"Dani? Who's the pin head?" Ash asked.

"PIN HEAD!? PIN HEAD!? WHY YOU LOATHSOME CHILD! HOW DARE YOU!?"

Jace glared at Ash. "Nice… make the robot with the genus level intellect, whose carrying as many rockets as the U.S. military, even more driven to make us nothing more than a stain on the street."

"Guys, not now!" Dani yelped as Technus started to fire his laser beam at the shield. The place it struck started to heat up and cause a orange melting spot to appear. "Yikes!"

It was then the three kids as well as the civilians who were hiding nearby, heard the screech of tires and saw the Fenton Family Ghost Assault Vehicle tearing down the street. The RV stopped and Maddie and Jack jumped out, guns blazing and hoods up.

"Get ready to meet Fenton Bazooka, you Technological Terror!" Jack yelled out.

"Ash, Jace, honey… Go to Jazz in the RV, she'll help you. Ms. Phantom," Maddie spoke, addressing her daughter as Phantom in public, and aimed her double blasters.

"Yes?"

"You ready to fight and are you aware of which ghost we're facing? This one doesn't look familiar."

"MORTAL FOOL! I AM TECHNUS 3.0, MASTER OF ALL TECHNOLOGY!"

Maddie blinked behind her googles. "Technus?"

"He updated," Dani sighed.

"Very well," Maddie nodded.

"BONZAI!" Jack suddenly roared and started to fire. Technus growled and jetted out of the way of the blasts, using the jets hidden in his feet.

Maddie dashed forward, into the fray as she tried to actually hit the ghost with her _slightly_ better aim. She landed a few good hits, as Dani flew up and started to fire ice beams at Technus' feet, hoping he'd crash to the ground without his jets.

Inside the RV, Jazz, Ash, and Jace watched the battle, once Jazz had checked their minor injuries.

"So we just sit here?" Ash asked.

"Well, I'm not trusted with the thermos for a few good reasons…" Jazz murmured but then smiled. "I've got to keep you guys out of trouble though."

"We wanted to join you," Jace explained. "Join Team Phantom."

Jazz looked at them both in slight confusion and then worry. "I can't really be the one to… I mean it's not like a club."

"We know. The risks are high, but we still want to help," Jace returned.

"Yeah! Dani's doing it." Ash gestured out the door. The three grimaced when Technus fired a batch of rockets at Dani and caused her to crash into the storefront she had been fighting in front of.

"She also is super durable and has super powers," Jazz replied.

"Yeah? Sam, Tucker, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton and even you fight sometimes."

"We have experience."

Jace frowned and looked at Ash. "She has a valid point Ash. As much as I want to… we can't just jump in and help. We might become a hinderance."

Ash furrowed his brows in determination after he watched Dani fighting so more. She was sweating and dirty now; some of her hair had slipped from her hair-fix and was getting into her face as she flew and fired large blasts of ectoplasm at Technus.

"We have to start somewhere though," Ash expressed in ernest before grabbing what looked like a weapon and running out.

"Oh damn it all, Kappel!" Jace growled and grabbed something himself before bolting out of the RV and past Jazz. She remained sitting and blinking in surprise. Her eyes drooped.

"Why do I even try anymore?"

Jazz leapt up and snatched the Fenton Peeler before running outside.

Ash was firing a wrist ray at Technus who either easy dodged or barely felt the small weapon's blasts. Jace was trying to figure out how the Jack-o-ninetails worked.

Technus eventually got annoyed by the wrist ray's tiny attacks and turned away from Dani, Jack, and Maddie to face Ash, Jace, and Jazz.

"Child! You are barking up the wrong tree, dawg."

Ash froze and blinked before looking at Jace. "Is this guy serious with his lingo?" Jace only shrugged.

"I guess that's one thing of yours that didn't upgrade!" Dani shouted before she successfully took out Technus' feet jets and made him crash to the ground. He growled before glaring at Ash.

"You distracted me, child. You will pay!" Technus rose his hand as Jazz and Jace dove out of the way into two separate shelters, behind the RV and an overturned car. A flash of light and an explosion later, Ash was gone.

"NOO!" Dani cried out in horror and grief as her green eyes started to burn green with emotion.

"Foolish child. Now you, Dani Phantom, will be distracted by those silly human emotions you try so hard like some ghosts to hold onto."

Dani growled before she roared and blasted Technus right in the chest, forcing him into the ground. She kept up the attack until Technus was able to fight some and aim an arm at her.

"Prepared to be ended, girl!" A blast from the side surprised everyone fighting. It forced Technus to miss his laser's shot since it'd struck his arm. "What!?"

Everyone looked over and saw Ash was standing near the alleyway, the side of his shirt was burnt. "I don't think so."

"Take this, ghost!" Jack shouted and fired. The bazooka's shot hit it's mark and Technus howled as his body was sucked into the tiny hole to the Ghost Zone that had been formed. Jace and Jazz popped out from behind their shelters as Dani flew down to the earth and stared at Ash, who was smiling back.

"How'd… I thought…"

Ash chuckled nervously. "I practically threw myself into the alleyway and landed in a pile of garbage and trashcans." He looked up at everyone. "He still got the side of my shirt though…"

Jazz walked up and looked to see in fact that Ash had no wound where his shirt was burned.

"Well that's a relief," Jace sighed.

Maddie looked around and started to shoo people away. She would've done that before the fight since people needed to learn to not crowd these happenings, but she'd been too busy coming to Dani's aid.

Ash smiled sheepishly up at Jack. "Could I use your shower, Mr. Fenton? I don't think my mom would be happy to se me walk into the house with a burnt shirt. She'd freak."

Jack grinned and slapped the back of Ash's shoulder blades, making the boy wheeze. "Of course! Anyone that can fight a ghost is welcome in our home."

"Thank you, Mr. Fenton," Jace smiled. He looked at Ash. "You're lucky I also have a spare of one of your shirts."

Ash narrowed his eyes at his long time friend. "Why the heck do you have one of my shirts?"

Jace tried not to grin. "No reason… and if there had been some less than pleasant plot I had had planned, you'll die never knowing what it might have been."

"You scare me sometimes."

"Good, that's the desired effect."

Dani only laughed and then hugged Ash tightly, making the boy make a surprised noise.

Maddie and Jack paused and gave each other a knowing look. Jazz locked eyes with Jace and they both gave each other a _oh boy_ look.

"Don't scare me like that again."

Ash gulped and then hesitantly returned the hug. "Okay, but no promises."

-smack-

"Ow." Ash muttered after Dani had slapped the back of his head.

"No promises makes the Okay not mean anything!" Dani huffed.

"You mean it nullifies the meaning behind the first response," Jace inserted.

"That's what I said," Dani spoke and blinked.

Jace sighed. "Never mind."

Ash smiled and looked at Maddie and Jack. "Maybe if I knew some cool moves…"

Jace face-palmed.

Maddie smiled brightly now that she and her husband had removed their hoods. "Well I could say that you and your friend Jace wanted to learn karate from me. I teach Dani, Jazz, Danny, and now Tucker and Sam often. Valerie already is a ninth degree black belt."

Ash grinned. "Yes please!"

Dani sighed. "Are you sure you want to do this? Once you're in… the ghosts make sure you are never out. You'll be targeted."

Ash frowned and then looked at Jace. A silent message passed between the two boys.

Ash had been a little afraid when he'd found out his newest friend was part ghost and actually involved with fighting other ghosts. At first he wasn't sure if the Phantoms were evil or not. His parents had always been in the middle about the whole thing, happy if Phantom could keep evil at bay, but ready at the drop of a hat to let someone destroy Phantom if he went bad. When Dani Phantom had appeared and flew around happily with her _cousin_, Ash had started to think that ghosts were more complicated than how people saw them. And now, after still talking and hanging out with Dani as well as seeing first hand what happened during one of the fights, he knew his answer.

Jace had been wary to say the least. Unlike Ash though, he'd always had the question in the back of his mind that asked what about being dead made something or someone evil? So he'd used his observational skills from the start, seeing that Phantom was capable of great strength and acts of good. If he'd been truly evil, then he would've done much worse in his boughts of wrong-doing. Finding out Dani was indeed a Phantom too, was a shock, but Jace was one to watch after his friends. It had always been his role to watch after others, mostly his three younger brothers of ten, seven, and three years of age. He'd guarded Ash for as long as they'd known each other and Dani was going to get the same treatment. He knew his answer.

"We're sure." They answered simultaneously.

zzz

**Ozarks. 12:04 PM.**

"Look. Aren't they beautiful?"

Danny carefully stepped over a branch on the path they were walking on before looking up at his girlfriend's voice. Everyone had stopped walking to watch the group of three doe graze and stare at them. Eventually the largest one started to move away and the other two followed.

"The white-tailed deer. There is one other species in Arkansas that belong to the Cervids grouping, but it's unlikely we'll see it," Lancer spoke up.

"Hmmm venison," Tucker murmured before Valerie sighed at him. Sam was giving him a death glare.

"They're such beautiful creatures. Is meat and eating things _all_ you can think about?" Sam grumbled.

Tucker shrugged. "I've been hiking for a few hours now and well I'm hungry. I'm also a meat connoisseur, if you haven't forgotten."

Sam just rolled her eyes. Before something else caught her eye. "Oh look a Fox Squirrel."

Everyone in the group turned and saw the rodent dashing to a branch before leaping and grabbing onto another.

Melanie smiled and looked at Sam. "You know a lot about animals, Sam."

Sam smiled back. "Of course. I don't eat anything with a face on it for a reason."

"Oh, I just thought you were afraid to get fat," Paulina announced from behind, causing her girlfriends to snicker.

Danny grumbled under his breath before he smiled and have turned. "At least she eats healthily, Paulina."

Paulina gave Danny and glare and the two were stuck like that for a few seconds before Dash growled. Sam glared at the larger boy in turn.

"Enough," Lancer spoke up.

"Yeah, I know everyone's stir crazy and tired from hiking but we've just got one hill to go over before we reach our first day's camping site. Come on, maggots!" Tetslaff shouted as everyone groaned.

If it hadn't been obvious before, it was now. A semi-noticeable gap formed between Danny, his friends, Brandon's friends, and Melanie, and the A-listers. TJ, Brad, Stan, John, Freddie, and Richard kept mostly to their own group. They started talking about baseball when Brad initiated the discussion.

After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, Tetslaff led them off the trail slightly when they spotted a large meadow. She turned to face the students.

"Okay, this is what I want to see. Fix up some lunch for yourselves if you're hungry enough, then set up your tents and gear for the night. Once that's done, I'm going to give you all a lesson in starting a campfire, with and without a ready source of fire. Understood?"

Everyone nodded at their teachers before walking out into the meadow to choose their spots. Once Danny, Tucker, Valerie, and Sam had decided theirs, they sat down next to their packs to rest and eat first. Sam started pulling out the ingredients to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Jam? That doesn't need a fridge?" Tucker asked as Sam passed him his sandwich.

"Certain kinds, no. If the preserves have enough sugar in them then the water that normally helps lets things spoil is trapped," Sam answered after passing one to Danny.

Once she had made one for Valerie and herself, she pulled out two apples and cut them in half. Each one got a half. That sat and ate in comfortable silence, even when Tucker pulled out some jerky, stating he had to have _some_ meat even if he couldn't have as much as normal. He shared some with Danny when he asked for some.

They glanced around to see some people eating and others finished with whatever they had had and working on getting their tents up. They eventually started getting their own tents up without much issue except for Tucker getting wrapped up in his own, once, which prompted a few laughs from his friends. Once they were done with their own tents, they walked over to help Brandon and some of the nerds fix theirs up, to keep Dash and his goonies from laughing at them.

It was during this time that Danny noticed Dash of all people, having trouble with his own tent. He wasn't too sure where the poles went and connected.

Danny closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. He was starting to wonder if he liked to torture himself. He walked over and addressed Dash.

"Dash, do you need some help?"

Dash stopped and looked up to see Danny looking at him it what? slight concern? He scowled.

"I'm just fine, Fentonio! You must be pretty good at this since your hick cousin was from here before your family adopted her!" Dash growled out.

Danny growled angrily and turned on his heel. He marched back towards his friends muttering under his breath. "Bardus stultus. Quare et contumax esse crudelis? Si quis habuit idea! Ego iustus volo ad auxilium." (Stupid fool. Why does he have to be so stubborn and cruel? If he had any idea! I just wanted to help.)

Sam frowned when she heard Danny talking in Latin while angry. He probably wasn't even aware he'd slipped into a different language. "Danny shush. I know he's an idiot, but you can't talk in Latin any more. Not here."

Danny perked up and snapped out of his mutterings. "I was…"

"Yeah."

"Oh, oops. He just said some stupid comment about Dani being from here."

"I understand," Sam replied.

"So now what? Tucker asked and leaned back against a large rock that was near their four tents which had been linked together as they'd planned a month before.

"We wait until everyone's done and then Tetslaff will be teaching us about starting a fire," Valerie returned with an amused smile. Danny only chuckled as a extremely tiny orange ember flickered into existence on his index finger.

"I could always start a fire," Danny smirked.

Sam laughed. "You sound like a pyro, Danny."

Danny blew out the tiny flame and laid down. "I wonder if we could find a good place to fish. I brought the Fenton Ghost Fisher. It can catch ghosts, but it's still a working fishing pole."

Tucker laughed in amusement. "Ha! Never thought of that. Fish... meat..."

"Students!"

Everyone turned to see Lancer and Tetslaff near the center of the ring of students and their tents. The teachers had also set up their own.

"Okay, first we've got to build the structure to hold a fire safety."

Everyone looked down and saw that this part of the meadow was a bit rockier.

"We need to clear away as much of the foliage as possible. Then dig a bit and make a barrier around the hole with dirt or stones," Brandon offered.

Tetslaff looked in surprise at Brandon. "Excellent work Mr. Masterson."

Tucker nudged Brandon to congratulate him and soon Brandon was feeling pride rush through him since his friends were happy for him.

"I used to be a Squirrel Scout for the Amity Park division," Brandon added.

Tetslaff nodded, "Excellent. Now I need some strong abled bodied persons to go gather wood while the rest of us build the pit."

Danny, Dash, Valerie, and Freddie were the ones sent out to get fire wood. It wasn't must longer that they came back; Dash saw Danny and Valerie carrying a couple piles a bit bigger than his and Freddie's and scowled.

The fire was built and put up and everyone stepped back as Tetslaff went through the steps of starting the fire without a source. She showed them a couple methods, including the use of steel wool and a battery as well as bending light into a fine point. After the demonstration was over, she took a flint stone and told them it's usually just better to make sure you had a flint whenever you went somewhere.

It didn't take long for the fire to start burning and warming them. It was getting late in the afternoon by now and Lancer told them that they could explore, so long as they came back to base before sundown.

"There are two easy things to identify that I wanted you guys to taste," Sam spoke as they walked into the woods. Melanie had over heard what Sam was saying and wanted to see for herself. Being in the outdoors had made the other girl curious to learn more about it.

"Ugh, plants," Tucker murmured.

"Some mushrooms can taste like meat sometimes you know," Valerie supplied.

"Really?"

Danny chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"So you have a greenhouse and grow a lot of the food you take to lunch at school?" Melanie asked Sam.

"Yeah, some of it isn't edible though. I have considered adding these to my garden, but they're fairly common anyways," Sam replied. She stopped and smiled. "Here we go." Everyone watched as she bent down and started to pick some mushrooms off of a fallen log. "These are Oyster mushrooms, see the gill-like stalks and how they look like oysters?"

Sam rose again as she directed everyone to follow again. They paused when Danny stopped walking. In front of them were several weeds and ferns that made up the undergrowth. His eyes focused on some Dandelions.

"Hey Sam?"

"Yeah Danny?"

"Were you heading towards the dandelions? They're edible, right?" Danny asked and rubbed the back of his neck.

Sam beamed. "You were listening! Yes that's the other thing I was going to show you all."

Danny kneeled and plucked some of the plant before they all started walking back towards the meadow. A light orange tinge was starting to color and world as the sun started it's descent. As soon as they got back to camp, Lancer noticed the foliage in their hands and approached.

"Oyster Mushrooms and Dandelions, sir," Sam spoke.

Lancer focused on the plant and fungus before nodding and smiling. "Very good Mrs. Manson. I think that's worth at least two points each."

Sam shook her head. "I identified the mushroom Mr. Lancer, not the fact that Dandelion is edible."

Lancer rose his brows when Sam glanced at Danny.

"But Sam you were going to do the same thing."

"And you beat me to it."

Lancer nodded and spoke. "Two points each then. two for Manson and two for Fenton."

Lancer then walked off as they walked over to the fire. After some work and learning that Danny as well as Jazz could actually cook fairly well since his parents weren't gifted in that area, the small group was enjoying a small bit of cornbread, chili, for anyone but Sam, and the mix of oyster mushrooms and dandelions that had been grilled.

It wasn't much longer after that that night fell and everyone was gathered around the fire. Danny had a bit of left over fire wood and was hacking at it with his pocket knife he'd brought. He cut himself once during the activity, though no one noticed the cut heal within a couple minutes. Sam kept asking him what he was trying to carve, but he wouldn't say. He knew he'd never actually tried to make sculptures without use of his cytokinesis before, but wasn't it just a matter of making his hands do what his mind could? When he made his ice sculptures, they didn't just immediately form from the thoughts in his mind. He had to carve them, take and add things to them as separate steps and actions mentally. Now in this case he just had to do the same with his hands and remember that he couldn't _add_ to the wood like he could ice.

"Fenton, I didn't know you could carve wood," Brad spoke up when he noticed Danny carefully witting at the wood, now.

Danny looked up and smiled a bit. "I've done some other… uh… sculpting before, but I wanted to see if I could work with wood since there's a lot of it here. It probably won't turn out too well."

Lancer narrowed his eyes at the way Daniel got slightly evasive when talking about sculpting. Why wouldn't anyone want others to know about their artistic gifts?

"What are you making?" Norman asked.

The A-listers had stopped gossiping for a time and watched the losers, nerds, and neutrals… talking peacefully together, even if the neutrals weren't sitting close to the others like the losers and nerds were.

"Uh well… I was wanting to make a doe. I'm worried about making thin legs though so maybe I'll connect the legs to some foliage or something to make it sturdier," Danny replied as Sam's eyes lit up.

"Oh you got inspiration from seeing those white-tails didn't you?" Melanie offered.

"Yeah. I guess you could say they embody part of the spirit of this place," Danny replied and then smirked.

"I wanna see it when it's done, okay Danny?" Stan asked.

"Yeah, same here."

"Me too."

Danny looked around at the people talking and shrugged sheepishly. "If you like, but I'm telling you it's not going to be much of anything. I've never used wood before. I might even scrap this attempt before long if I doesn't look right."

Everyone asking seemed fine with that. The A-listers started whispering amongst themselves. Soon after that, everyone started to slip away into their tents to get some sleep. Lancer was the last to go into his own tent, since he wanted to make sure no one was left outside in the night.

It was several minutes later and Lancer knew he had something on his mind that wouldn't let him sleep yet.

He'd never known of Daniel to show any kind of artistic ability or preference before. If he had, he'd never shown it. He knew Samantha was semi-gifted with drawing, just from the glimpses of doodles he'd seen on her notes before, but Daniel hadn't ever seemed to stay at school long enough to show anything like knack for the fine arts before.

Another small memory entered his mind. He remembered seeing Samantha walking around school with a necklace made of some kind of crystal. He'd even over heard from some students that were more in the know, that Daniel had made the piece on his own. It was rumored to be made of ghost ice, which couldn't melt by normal means.

Suddenly a strange collection of thoughts started to come into Lancer's mind. He was suspicious of Daniel and his friends hunting ghosts, Daniel had supposedly made a necklace from ghost ice, Daniel seemed to like sculpting…

Lancer's eyes widened. "Could TheEidolon's sculptures be made of ghost ice?" Lancer went over in his head how Daniel could possibly have learned to carve with the ice that seemed as hard as diamonds. Just short of trapping the ghost and forcing it to make things for Daniel, which seemed to not be within the gentle Fenton's personality do to something even remotely that cruel, he would have to have access to something that could melt the substance. His parents were ghost hunters so they had to have something that could do the job. Daniel may even have friends that were ghosts, given how his friends supported the Phantoms so much…

Lancer quieted his mind and listened to the crickets and small frogs singing in the night air. Though Daniel and his friends were still an enigma…

Had Lancer just figured out that the identity of TheEidolon, was in fact, Danny Fenton?

zzz

**Amity Park. Vlad's Mansion. 9:55 PM.**

The mansion was quiet and empty. No movement or life wandered the halls. Down in the secret lab of the mansion's walls, the doors to the Ghost Zone portal remained closed, tight.

Even so, a dark purple almost black amorphous shaped being slipped right through the closed door as easy as the Box Ghost. It soundlessly floated through the several hidden rooms that made up the lab, until it's non-eyes noticed the dome housing the Crown of Fire.

It floated over to the dome and reached out to touch it, before receiving a nasty shock. The being didn't cry out in pain however. It simply slipped into the floor and crawled through the tiniest of shadows on the dome and it's support. Now partially within the dome, it snatched the crown and placed it on it's head.

The being's one semi-formed arm, which housed the Ring of Rage, was joined by his right arm becoming more formed and solid, his chest and body all became more humanoid, even if he remained small and almost young in appearance.

It slipped away through the shadows again and hissed once it was safe to look at itself in a nearby mirror.

"I… I imprinted after _him_?" The being growled in frustration before it noticed it was melting some, after talking and manifesting it's anger. "I must be patient still… I need a body… a true body… then I can use it to grow a more solid and sturdy form. Then Humanity shall fall to Malus."

Malus let out a cut off dark chuckle before turning and flying back through the portal and into the Zone.

* * *

**So did you all like it? I hope so. Oh and by the way if you were curious about Technus' new form, look up Technus on the Danny Phantom Wikia. If the show hadn't been canceled, they had planned for Technus to upgrade in Flirting with Disaster. Take a look at the concept sketches at the bottom. That's Technus 3.0. :) I don't think I've seen anyone use him (at least in the stories, I've read).**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**Savirox: Also I was wondering... Do you actually know latin or do you just use a traductor or something ?**

**Nosignal: I do not know Latin. I use Google Translate. I know many people know this method to be flawed, but I focus more on the atmosphere even _imitating_ Latin brings, even if it's done incorrectly. I try to make sure it's semi accurate, but Latin is particularly tricky.**

**NoSignal to Starlin's Ghost: I'm sorry you didn't enjoy this chapter as much. It was intended to be a bit filler-like and mostly fun and goofy. Yes there is kinda an itinerary that isn't expressly mentioned. Lancer didn't know Danny had even gone to the bathroom, Danny had walked back with Valerie, Sam, and Tucker after transforming back to Fenton. The Mansion is eh, semi-famous in real life. You're right though, there probably is no logical reason (at least mentioned in the chapter) that would explain why Dash and Tyson knew about the mansion. I'll try to keep some of these inconsistencies in mind, though I also want to focus on constructing the overall feel of the story. I'll even try to at least make the field trip as interesting as I can sense I sensed that you are semi-turned off by the plot-line of field trips being used to reveal his secret to his classmates.**

**I'll try to keep the things you said in mind. Thanks again though for another long and helpful review.**

**Coin: Perhaps you could put more focus into Sam and Tucker acknowledging how much he goes through and how they appreciate him? That's something they hardly touched on in the show.**

**NoSignal: I like that idea. I think I'll try to push it a bit later in the Field Trip. :) Glad you're enjoying it enough. Sorry if the fluff is annoying. I try to not make those main focuses in any of my stories. Thanks for your review!**

* * *

**Thanks Everyone for your reviews and kind words! You have no idea how much they help. Any support at all makes writing easier. Of course I make it my mission for it to never have an effect on how long it takes for me to get a chapter posted.**

**Anyways, thanks! Until next time,**

**~NoSignal**


	15. Day Two and a half: Ozarks

**And here we are. It begins...**

**Every chapter will be posted every week and a half to two weeks.**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_Before you can successfully make friends with others, first you have to become your own friend.__" __~ Stephen Richards_

zzz

**Ozarks. 5:45 AM.**

Have you ever woken up to a situation where you had no clue wether or not you were still dreaming or actually present? Yeah, waking up with a large rat snake crawling over your torso will do that to you.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

People fumbled and tripped over each other, trying to get out of their tents. The chaperones stumbled about and tried to figure out from which student the scream was coming from.

Everyone's eyes landed on the large tent that was a combination of four tents. More specifically, Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie's tent. It looked like every person within was wrestling with the tent itself.

"Tuck! Tuck what is it!?"

"A SNAKE!"

"Well it's a rat snake, so at least it's not venomous."

"I DON'T CARE! YOU KNOW HOW I AM WITH SNAKES, SAM!"

"Just stop squirming and let me get a good view."

"HURRY!"

Within the tent, Valerie was trying to open one of the zippers while Danny was trying to use his new telekinesis to pick the snake up. As soon as Valerie had the zipper open, the snake went sailing through before plopping in front of the rest of the students and teachers.

Danny heard a couple girls outside scream and maybe Dash yelp? He wasn't sure.

"Oops," Danny popped his head out enough to were some could see he'd slept without a shirt. "It won't bite anyone, so let it just slither off."

Sam's head popped in next to his and smiled. "Exactly, it's done nothing wrong."

"KILL IT!" Tucker yelped from within the tent. Sam growled and disappeared back inside.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

Danny rolled his eyes and looked back up at Mr. Lancer, who was for some reason giving Danny a critical look over.

"Um, I'm just going to get changed… I get hot easily."

"Is that why you come to school in only a long sleeved shirt when it's snowing outside, Mr. Fenton?" Lancer asked and rose a brow.

Though to most, the teacher would seem to have been messing with a student, Danny could actually sense the tinge of concern, amusement, and confusion? bubbling in his teacher's emotions.

"Uh, Yes sir. We sleep in the four bubbles and have a middle space that we share in the tent, so uh don't worry about funny business."

"I wasn't. Should I?" Lancer asked.

Danny flushed. "Of course not. I'll go now." Danny disappeared back into the tent, missing the tiny smile come onto Lancer's face.

Eventually, the four friends came out dressed completely and ready, like the rest of the group, to pick up and pack up their tents and supplies. Danny and his friends enjoyed a small breakfast consisting of an orange each, and some bread and swiss cheese, which was one of the cheeses that could last longest without refrigeration. They drank from their water bottles as Tetslaff started telling everyone the plan for today.

They would be traveling further down the trail and then stopping at a large natural lake to set up camp again and get the chance to swim and explore the surrounding area.

The students cheered at the opportunity to swim, while Tucker was excited for the chance to catch fish for lunch or dinner. Sam on the other hand noticed Danny immediately sober up. As they started to walk and Tucker started to blab to Valerie about how many fish he wanted to catch, Sam hung back and walked with Danny.

"Hey what's wrong? And don't you dare try to say nothing. I can tell you're upset about something."

Danny looked over at her with a tiny smile and then frowned. "My scars. It's been a while since I swam last. You know I try to avoid it. After the episode with Kitty playing as Paulina ended, the battles got harder and harder and since then I haven't swam very much because well…"

Sam's face fell and she looked at Danny in sympathy. "You know I think your scars are wonderful. Each one received from protecting people. It's like the wounds from a war veteran."

Danny smiled at her half-heartedly, before she gently held his hand.

"You know I love you, Fenton. I loved you before you became a superhero," Sam murmured the last part in case someone might overhear.

Danny blushed slightly just as Sam did after speaking. Danny was smiling with Sam now. A worried look still held onto his handsome features.

"But people will wonder where Danny Fenton got those scars. I definitely haven't swam in front of the other students since the Kitty-Paulina thing. Especially, you know, the more recent scar from that ectopus thing. It's the most noticable," Danny murmured.

"Well they'd wonder where your physique came from as well, Danny-boy," Sam smirked. "So no matter what, they're going to wonder and Paulina will probably blow a gasket."

Danny huffed. "I guess I'll have to figure out something…" A wicked smile came to his face. "Okay, I'll try not to be self-conscious or as overly modest if you don't wear that cloak of yours. I want to swim _with_ you."

Sam furrowed her brows in slight frustration as Danny continued to grin like a little boy who'd found a loophole in his parents' instructions.

Finally Sam surrendered and let out a sigh. "Fine. Only for you Danny. Only for you."

They leaned in closer for a quick and tender kiss before catching up to Tucker and Valerie as the entire group continued their trek through the wilderness.

zzz

**FentonWorks. 8:30 AM.**

"Awww is Ash sleepy?" Dani asked with a wide grin.

Ash, the teen in question, glared up grumpily at Dani as he stood on her doorstep. He opened his mouth to speak before Jace cut him off.

"I tried to tell him to go to sleep last night, but he insisted on playing D.O.O.M late into the early morning."

Ash grumbled. "At least I know how to have fun. You're so anal about being on time."

"Now Ash, that's not very nice," Dani giggled.

"Yes listen to the girl," Jace smiled. He gasped when Ash grinned and reached over to noogie his friend.

"I can't stay mad at you, Jace," Ash spoke. Jace gasped again and tried to speak before his mouth was blocked by Ash's arm again in the struggle.

"Come on you guys. Mom is waiting." Jazz smiled after he'd appeared at the door behind Dani.

Ash smirked and let go of Jace, who went to rearranging his mussed sweats and work-out shirt. The two then followed Dani and Jazz inside the home.

Ash tore his eyes from Jace after watching his friend finish fixing his appearance. "What exactly did your mom tell our parents we were doing here every Wednesday and Friday?"

Jazz smiled. "She told them that she always offers to teach the friends of her children how to defend themselves from ghosts. I mean it's like free karate lessons. Who wouldn't say yes to that?"

"So nothing about actually fighting said ghosts?" Ash asked.

Jazz narrowed her eyes. "Let's get something straight." A worried look replaced her previous serious one. "Just because you're going to be apart of Team Phantom, doesn't mean you're going to run off to hunt ghosts, got it?"

"Huh?" Ash asked and scratched his head. Jace stayed silent and waited patiently for further explanation.

Jazz frowned. "You're going to learn how to defend yourselves _if_ a ghost attacks you or Dani _if_ you're with her at the time. I nor my parents want you two to run off looking for trouble, understand? Defense only and how to handle _some_ of the Fenton equipment."

Ash sighed. "I guess to hope for much more would've been too much."

Dani raised a brow. "What more do you want? Heck most of the time all me and Danny do _is_ defense. We don't look for fights with ghosts, they come to us and we fight them off."

Jazz smiled. "Exactly, though you guys will focus on learning to get away and _maybe_ hide properly to provide support. You'll also learn about the ghosts, their weaknesses and data."

Ash's face deflated more. "Man, you're making this sound more like an extra class for school."

Jace sighed and patted Ash on the back. "Ashton, survival of any kind involves learning. Understanding how the ghosts work and behave is important. Besides, we may get to hear about Danny and Dani's many adventures."

Ash seemed to perk up at Jace's words and looked at Dani. He smiled. "That actually sounds good. Have any cool tales, Dani?"

Dani flushed slightly before she smiled and tried to speak. That was, before Cujo leapt from behind the couch while in puppy form and slammed into Dani's back. Jazz smiled when both boys took a jump back in surprise, as Dani rolled and started playing with the green dog; it started to lick her face until it took notice of them. In a split second, it was towering over them with blood red eyes and canines almost as big around as the boys' hands. It growled deeply at the intruders.

"Down, Cujo. They're friends," Dani spoke up as she moved in front of the dog. Cujo cocked his head, an action which seemed cute and oddly out of place on such a large and intimidating hound. He then started to pant contently as he shrunk, retaining his puppy form.

Ash deadpanned. "Of course they have a ghost dog. It only makes since."

"Cute and very fitting. He must get restless in here though," Jace spoke.

"He takes runs in the Ghost Zone when he needs them. He also feeds there. I don't really know what he eats, Danny says the Zone itself can kinda feed a ghost through their being alone so…" Dani spoke and rolled her eyes slowly as she finished.

"Kids?"

Jazz smiled at the three younger kids and turned. "We're coming mom!"

The four then turned to walk towards the basement and where the adult Fentons were waiting. Dani turned before they left and pointed at the couch. "Lay down, Cujo."

Cujo yipped and ran before sailing onto the couch and curling into a tight ball. Dani beamed until she noticed the pool of green slobber starting to collect on the cushion Cujo was on. "I'll have to clean that later."

With that she turned and ran down into the basement to practice combat with her parents, sister, and two best friends. Yep they were _best_ friends now. As Ash had said, 'You can't not be best friends after being attacked by a psychotic, ghostly robot that used lingo from the 50s.'

"DAD! Ash and Jace aren't ghosts!"

"Sorry, Ellie!"

"I'll get the Fenton-de-foamer."

"Um, Jace you okay?"

"So much… slime…. grime… unclean."

"I think you broke him, Mr. Fenton."

zzz

**?.?.?**

"How are you today?"

"Not this garbage again."

"It was a reasonable question."

"You're a prick."

"That's very crude of you. I thought you had more dignity than that."

"You're fortunate that you're out there and I'm in here."

"And that I control the flow of time?"

A growl.

"…How are you today?"

"Rot in Oblivion, you old codger!"

*Sigh* "Anything you want to talk about?"

A snarl of fury was his answer.

"Anything at all? What have you been thinking about, other than many ways you would like to maim me?"

"…"

_Come on… we've been at this for months. I think… no. I know you can take the step… I've counted on it for so long._

"…Why haven't you simply destroyed me? I know you could. Easily in fact. Do you relish my suffering? Does it entertain you during your eternal loneliness?"

*Sigh* "The only question I can't answer completely yet."

"Damn you and your meddling. Damn you and your time staff. And DAMN THIS BLASTED THERMOS!" A roar erupted from within the container as it rattled and tilted wildly, almost spinning from it's harsh movements.

Clockwork sighed as he watched the thermos rattle and shake. Long ago had Dan learned that his younger self had been saved from his own fate by Clockwork's power, long ago had the monster learned his younger self was happy and thriving again, long ago had he sworn and so far failed to break free from his prison. Clockwork stared at the marred visage of Dan's face that was imprinted permanently on the metal of the thermos. After what seemed like a long time even to the Time Master, the thermos stilled again. It probably only seemed long because of how delicate Clockwork knew this whole process was.

A tiny smile came to his face. For the first few weeks Dan had been in his tower after Danny's battle, Dan had raged and fought constantly from within the container for he didn't need to rest since he didn't technically physically tire. So the only reason Dan stopped now a days was because he got emotionally worn out and knew it wasn't worth it to rage against the container for days on end. If anything, the monster was hoping the thermos would just open one day after a particularly rough struggle from it's prisoner. That would never happen though, Clockwork knew it wouldn't. The thermos would hold fast in all but a few timelines, including this one.

After enough silence had passed and Clockwork knew Dan was listening to see if the Time Master had at the very least left the room, he spoke.

"I swore to the Observants that I would be Daniel's guardian…" Clockwork spoke before Dan could interrupt. "But I also told them I'd guard you. I'm your Guardian as well, Dan Phantom."

"Why? I'm not going to be your tool."

"Why? Because everyone deserves a second chance."

"I. don't. want. A second chance." Dan worded carefully and powerfully. "I'm perfectly hap-" He froze in mid sentence and the silence dragged on for a moment.

"Perfectly… happy?"

"…"

"I know you are smart Dan, very clever, very intelligent. So you tell me how a supposedly unfeeling, emotionless creature can be happy about _anything_."

"I abandoned my hu-"

"You erased a face… a likeness… you didn't get rid of your human half or at least the parts you wanted to get rid of."

Clockwork tensed when he felt the aura of power pulsate through the air, emanating from the thermos. Every ghost had an aura about them and some could even summon atmospheric changes with them, a hall getting darker and gaining an eery glow or a minor and focused storm gathering near the location of the specter. Even Half-ghosts had this power. The tower, especially near the thermos, darkened and Clockwork knew to leave.

As he reached the deepest parts of the tower to do some light reading, Clockwork frowned slightly at the fury filled wail that echoed through the lair. Only someone with very strong empathetic abilities or a being who was semi-omniscient, like Clockwork, could detect the slight waver of deep hidden agony in that roar. It seemed like it was one of his, what Dan would call them, weaker moments.

zzz

**Ozarks. 11:50 AM. **

"So wait, Technus upgraded again?" Danny asked. He then smirked. "What did he upgrade to now? A cowlick? I think even that's better than a mullet."

Valerie couldn't prevent a smile coming to her face at the quip, while Sam smiled and rolled her eyes. Tucker chuckled slightly before he frowned. "Actually he kinda did a complete make-over."

Danny, Sam, and Valerie looked over their friend's shoulder as they continued behind the rest of the students. Brandon and his friends were behind them and blocked a semi-frustrated Mr. Lancer from getting any closer.

What the four saw in Tucker's PDA was the new Technus 3.0, which Jazz had taken a picture of from the RV during the ghost's attack on Dani and her friends and before Ash and Jace had jumped into the fray. They'd also learned that the two boys were in on the big secret… well if only knowing that Danny and Dani were the Phantoms and caught ghosts, counted as the _big_ secret. Really the world of Team Phantom was more complicated than that… like Dani being a clone and Amity's mayor being a total fruit-loop… and the government trying to destroy sentient beings… yeah…

Danny had freaked out at first and the other three had had to help prevent him from having a panic attack of some kind in the middle of the hike since everyone would wonder what had caused the attack and since when did Danny Fenton have mid-grade anxiety problems. Sam had remedied it fairly quickly by wrapping her arm around his waist and speaking soothingly to him along with Tucker and Valerie about how everything would be okay and that Ash and Jace weren't GiW agents in disguise or undercover.

Back to the picture of Technus, though…

"Is that a brain?" Valerie asked and squinted her eyes.

"Gross, why do robots feel the need to have a brain in a glass jar, somewhere?" Danny muttered.

"I think it's cool," Tucker expressed. "I would like _my_ brain to be implanted into a sentient robot in the distant future, so all the generations to come would learn of Tucker Foley."

Valerie ran a hand down her face while Sam tried to hold back a snort of amusement at the ridiculousness of Tucker's words.

"Again, how come I'm the one with ghost powers and you're the weird kid?" Danny asked and quirked a brow.

"Get serious, guys. Jazz says that he is a bit more potent than before. He isn't as silly… said something about Danny teaching him to not monologue…" Sam trailed off before she, Tucker, and Valerie slowly raised their faces to look at Danny accusingly. Said Halfa was sweating rapidly and twitching.

"How was I suppose to know he'd actually take me serious? Besides, I thought he'd become pretty chill and you know, calm? I didn't think he'd get worse!" He flinched as Sam raised her hand. "Please Sam, don't." His pleas fell on deaf ears before the back of his head felt a powerful sting from Sam slapping him there. "Ouch!"

"Let's try NOT to make our enemies more competent! We don't need that, thank you," Sam expressed before crossing her arms. Tucker put his PDA away as Valerie shifted her pack on her back.

After finishing up their talk about the newest news from Amity, via the update from Jazz, the four friends went back to talking about more mundane things. It was a few minutes later that Tetslaff expressed that they had another fifteen to twenty minutes worth walk until they reached the Lake. Some groaned in exhaustion, but everyone was excited.

Another twenty minutes later, everyone was tired and Tucker was panting harshly along with most of the kids and Lancer. The only people who hadn't been worn out by the barrage of uphill and downhill hiking for the day had been Tetslaff, Danny, Sam, Valerie, and the jocks. Finally Tetslaff stopped after veering off the path to another decent sized area for putting their tents and gear.

"Here we are!" She called out and dropped her bags.

Tucker wheezed as Valerie simply pulled his pack off of him. Without the weight, Tucker simply fell.

"It's true. It's a conspiracy. They're trying to kill me. It's because I'm too handsome for this world."

Valerie rolled her eyes as she put down both of their packs. Danny and Sam did the same as everyone else started to spread out much like they had the day before.

"Stop being such a drama queen Tucker. You've walked further than that in the Ghost Zone."

Sam had made sure everyone had passed them before saying that.

"Um I thought we were never going to speak of that episode again."

"I second that," Danny spoke up.

"Oh come on. It wasn't that bad," Sam replied.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Valerie perked her brow up. "I've got to hear this."

Sam grinned and Danny panicked. "No Sam!"

"Sam!" Tucker yelped and they clamped their hands around her mouth. In a moment she'd flung them both over her shoulders in a heap.

"Owww…"

Sam smirked proudly and dusted off her hands. "It all started with the Fenton Weasel…"

"Sam…" Danny moaned.

"And ended with a rescue mission from Skulker's Lair," Sam finished. "That's all I'll say."

Valerie started to laugh. "For some reason I feel that's all I need to hear. Enjoy your time in the Fenton Weasel, Ghost boy?"

Danny scowled. "If you had any idea how uncomfortable it is in there, you people wouldn't think it's funny."

Valerie eyed Tucker who was sweating nervously. "Let me guess, you trapped Danny on accident, Skulker snatched him, and Sam guilted you into running much further than ever before, right?"

Tucker flushed. Danny narrowed his eyes. "And it took you how long to figure out I was Phantom?"

"Ah shut it, Fenton." Valerie teased.

Valerie and Sam perked up when they noticed people in swimsuits walking past them towards the brush on the other side of the clearing.

"Oh yeah, swimming. I need to change," Valerie spoke up and pulled some things from her bag before walking off. Sam grumbled something about not getting to wear here cloak and walked off with her own bundle.

Danny and Tucker glanced at each other before trying to get untangled. Danny froze. "Wait, duh, ghost powers." He made sure no one was there before he phased out from under Tucker and snatched his trunks from within his bag and ran off to find a place to change.

"Hey! Wait up!" Tucker yelped and did the same as his friend.

A few moments later, the four friends were walking towards where the lake was. Valerie was wearing a red bikini, Tucker had on army green trunks, Sam was wearing a black one piece that had the back out, and Danny was wearing black trunks with a white line down the sides.

"Daring. I wonder if anyone will wonder why black and white on you looks familiar?" Sam mused and nudged her boyfriend.

Danny chuckled and and shrugged as an answer before his eyes were drawn back to the serpentine-like scars around his chest and arms. Valerie noticed his action at same time Sam and Tucker did and looked down in shame. He'd gotten those wounds saving her life. Tucker clasped his hand around one of hers to comfort her.

"Danny, what did we talk about earlier?" Sam asked before trailing a couple fingers down his left arm.

He seemed to get slightly distracted by the gesture and even a bit flustered which pleased Sam, mostly because she could distract him from his troubles.

"Right. I remember."

"Good."

Finally they pushed through the final bushes and shrubs blocking them from the lake. It was amazing and quite large. One side was level with the ground they were on and had a gentle slope that fed into the lake water, while the left side of the body of water had a medium sized bluff to jump from or rest on.

The jocks were already trying to show off by doing dangerous dives, the cheerleaders were sunbathing and talking to the jocks every time they crawled back up to jump, Tetslaff and Lancer were sunbathing on the 'beach' portion which was more like dark brown sand. The Nerds were swimming in the shallow end, Mikey and Melanie were having a moment to talk, and the Neutrals were jumping off the bluffs as well, only not really caring about having their jumps judged.

Tucker cut his eyes over to Danny. "Cannonball contest?"

"Cannonball contest."

The two boys shot off, yelling back at their girlfriends to judge, knowing they of all people would be brutally honest with them.

Danny was the first up the bluff, surprising Kwan who was at the back of the line of the jocks. Tucker wasn't too long after that. The jocks and cheerleaders noticed their new company on the top of the rocks.

"What do you think you're doing up here, dweebs?" Alroy muttered.

Danny cocked a brow. "If you must know, me and Tucker are having a cannonball contest between each other."

"Do Jack-knifes count?" Tucker asked after poking Danny's shoulder.

Danny shifted his weight and thought. "Yeah, that counts. Technique is more important with those. Sounds actually like a better contest."

"Yes!"

The jocks scowled while the cheerleaders were whispering amongst themselves.

"Since when does Fenton look like… that!?" Megan whisper shouted to Paulina and the others. Indeed the cheerleaders had never seen Danny as he was now. Sure they'd maybe noticed his jaw getting more defined or his increase in height like most boys received, but this was the first time they'd seen what was underneath those t-shirts and jeans. Paulina knew that what she'd felt of his stomach months ago hadn't been her imagination. The girls even noticed that time hadn't been unkind to Foley either, though perhaps genetics had something to do with the slight difference in muscle tone, if only they knew the real reason.

"What's with the giant tattoo, Fentoad? You look like you got scalded or something," Dash teased as Tyson jumped into a back dive at the front of the line.

Tucker wasn't the only one to notice Danny flinch at the jock's words slightly. "None of your business, Dash."

Dash snickered slightly until he glanced over and noticed how the girls were looking over Danny behind his back. He felt a growl in his throat but bit it back when Danny spoke.

"Are you going to jump Dash? I am hungry and would like to eat after I get a little bit of swimming in."

Dash snapped. "Yeah! Of course! Watch and learn, Fentina." Dash turned around before bending his knees and preforming and at least two back flips before hitting the water.

Danny smirked to himself. He could do as many flips as he wanted because of his ghost powers, but it wasn't like he was going to show that. Finally Danny's turn was next and he got to the edge before looking about and eyeing Sam and Valerie sitting in the shallow water. He smiled and waved at them to get their attention. The jocks happened to turn around and noticed the two lovely ladies, who'd obviously filled out since freshman year though Valerie had had an head start on Sam before. Dash became frustrated that a loser like Fenton could end up with a girl like Sam, even if she was still a goth freak. His irritation only doubled when Tucker popped up next to Danny and waved to Valerie, who waved back. Fenton, Foley, Fenton, Foley… both of them. They were supposed to be losers. Dash turned and shouted at Fenton in slight desperation.

"You going to jump or what? You scared, Fenton?!"

By this time, almost everyone was paying attention to the social clash that was occurring. Danny rolled his eyes which only made Dash madder. Danny took a couple steps back before running and slinging his legs in an upwards arc to position himself almost upside-down in the air. Pulling in one leg and angling the second just so, he hit the water and caused a spout of water to shoot straight up along his leg.

A few people cheered and Danny grinned as he looked up at Tucker. "Think you can best that, Tuck?"

Tucker smirked. "Tch, easy." The techno-geek backed up a few steps before running and leaping into the air to preform the same stunt.

"Eep!" Danny yelped and dove underwater to swim away from Tucker's expected impact site. Soon he struck and the water channeled up Tucker's leg and into the air, reaching just a little bit higher into the air. He resurfaced and grinned at Danny.

"Ha!"

Danny chuckled. "You may have won the battle but the war is far from over!" He swam up and put his hands on his friend's shoulders before dunking him. After a moment, Tucker got away and turned around underwater to yank Danny under by his foot.

Sam and Valerie looked at each other and shook their heads before swimming out to their boyfriends. In one quick move, both girls had dunked Danny and Tucker. After a moment, they came up sputtering.

"Okay, okay! We were just having fun," Danny whined slightly and then shook his hair, getting water in Sam's face.

"Yeah, no harm," Tucker replied with a exaggerated grin right before he splashed Valerie. He, Sam, and Danny blinked and stared at Valerie as she let the water drip off her face.

"Oh, that was a bad move," she spoke before showering Tucker with a wave of water. Danny immediately turned and tried to splash Sam only to get a wave in his face too. He dove through the second however and came up to grab Sam by the waist and hoist her in the air.

"Danny," she hissed. "Are you using your flight to get enough leverage to hold me out of the water?"

"Yeah, why? It's not like anyone can see through this water. Besides, I'll just say a found a rock to stand on."

"We're in the middle of a lake."

"Minor detail. I'm trying to relax." Danny smiled and lowered her down a bit before lightly nuzzling her face. They were then caught in a wave of water and started hacking.

"Playtime now, sucking face later," Tucker stated as he dove to avoid some water Valerie sent his way.

"He's taking this way too far," Sam mumbled.

Danny laughed as he watched Valerie dive under with murder on her face, trying to catch the elusive techno-geek.

"At least they're happy," Danny replied simply and caused Sam to smile at the thought.

Eventually the four teens came out of the water and retrieved the Fenton Ghost Fisher for Tucker to use. After a bit of waiting and cheering, Tucker was able to pull in enough fish for them to eat for a late lunch. Many of the other students and teachers came back in as well, especially when the sun started to droop slightly in the sky. Changed and dried off, the three friends waited eagerly for their meal of fish with rice. Sam on the other hand disappeared into the woods to come back with a couple new varieties of mushrooms for her rice. They had some tea with their meal as well and watched everyone else eating their own meals and talking near their own fires. They noticed once that Paulina and Dash were giving them all two different but odd looks, though they were distracted from this observation when they noticed Lancer had gotten sunburned, badly. Though they pitted him for how uncomfortable he must be, they couldn't help the few laughs they got from how funny he looked. It was even harder to not laugh when Tetslaff slapped the man in the back and caused him to yell out.

By the time the sun was really starting to go down, the four friends were enjoying more of a snack dinner, with dried meat, fruit in Sam's case, and left-over rice. Danny, after working on his sculpture a bit more, he had pulled out a small book from his bag which looked like it'd seen better days. Danny rose an arm and pointed to a place in the starry sky, drawing his friends' attentions.

"That one's Cancer the Crab. That cluster, that cluster and those stars there. In Greek mythology, Cancer is a crab that pinched Hercules and a goddess that disliked Hercules placed it in the stars."

Sam glanced down at the book in Danny's hand and motioned to a name she noticed. "I've never heard of Pyxis before. Where's it?"

By this time, Brandon and his friends had wondered over to sit near Danny's group. TJ and his pals stopped talking so they could listen and satisfy their curiosity while still keeping their distance.

"Pyxis… there. It's a good one to use when lost. The constellation represents the magnetic compass used by navigators and seamen. Nicolas Louis de Lacaille was the one to create it." Danny replied after pointing it out.

Lancer was a bit a way looking through his things when he heard Danny talking about the stars. He wasn't too surprised by now that Daniel had other talents he'd been hiding or at least unable to show if he really was TheEidolon as well as a ghost hunter. One thing Lancer couldn't figure out yet was how Daniel knew when a ghost was going to attack, even before other detectors. Regardless, the teacher listened contently and carefully to what Daniel had to say.

"What about this one here, dude? Volans? Sounds like a video game character." Tucker leaned over Danny's shoulder to point at the place in the book.

Danny looked up at the stars and glanced around before smiling and pointing. "Right there. It represents a flying fish; its name is a shortened form of its original name, Piscis Volans. That one has a couple of double stars and a couple known galaxies in it."

"What's a double star?" Lester asked.

"It's where two stars are optically overlapping each other. They're at two separate distances though." Mikey nodded.

"Or they're binary stars, which means they orbit around each other closely." Danny added. Danny all of a sudden was shoved off the log he was sitting on and Dash was where he'd been, standing and looking up at the sky. Lancer immediately rose from his spot a ways away to walk over.

"Tch, how do you know where the constellations are, Fentonio? There aren't any lines connecting them."

Sam and Tucker went to help Danny up and Brandon answered, if a bit innocently.

"Uh, constellations are man-made Dash. The lines are in books not real life. You have to practice and memorize the places and time of year to know when and where a constellation is visible."

Dash grumbled and leaned down to grab the book Danny had dropped.

"Wait, don't take that!" Danny shouted.

Dash grinned. "And why shouldn't I, Fentina?"

"My dad gave that to me when I was like five!" Danny growled.

Dash smirked and tossed the book over his shoulder and into the surrounding bushes. "Then go get it if it's so important. Ha ha!"

Danny glared at Dash once before a worried look came to his face and he hurried towards the brush. Sam, Tucker, and Valerie got up and went over too and even Brandon and his friends followed suit. Danny did notice though that Lancer was stalking over to Dash and the others.

"Dude, you're just skimming the bottom now, man."

Dash whipped around and saw Brad looking at him with lazy eyes.

"What was that?" Dash growled.

"Man, we're going to be graduating at the end of the year. Can't you just drop this whole thing you've had with Fenton. We aren't kids anymore."

"Ah shove it! It isn't your problem." Dash snapped back and his jock friends nodded in support.

Brad shrugged. "Whatever, man."

"Indeed Mr. Baxter, I believe that's quite enough. You're months away from graduating and football season is over. I have no qualms at all with dishing out severe punishment for your antics." Lancer suddenly appeared in between the A-listers and the Neutrals.

"But, Mr. Lancer-"

"No buts, Baxter. You may never see Daniel again, you may never see any of your fellow students again. I know some of the things you've done may be hard for some of the students to forgive you for, but this is your chance to at the very least come to admire or learn something about them since you've never tried to before. Like did you know Lester wants to work for large computer companies one day? Or that TJ wants to be a DJ? Or even that Mr. Fenton has run the simulation for flying a space craft hundreds of times? I may be strict, but I know my students-" _At least almost everything._ He thought sadly. "And perhaps if you took the time to get to know them better, we could all have a much more pleasant experience on this trip. There aren't really any second chances after this Dash. How do you want to be remembered?" Lancer looked at the other jocks and cheerleaders. "How do all of you want to be remembered?"

Lancer was still standing and staring at an open mouthed Dash when Danny, his friends, and the Nerds returned from the woods with Danny's book of constellations.

"Mr. Lancer, something wrong?" Danny asked.

Lancer paused and looked over at Danny. "Of course not, Mr. Fenton. I was simply reminding Mr. Baxter of some important things. Carry on." He gave the others a calm smile before yawning and walking off towards his tent, mumbling about where his aloe-vera was.

Dash glanced over at Danny, who's gaze narrowed at him.

Dash opened his mouth to say something before Valerie cut him off.

"No, you don't get to speak."

"Uh, Val," Tucker started but was halted by a glare. She locked eyes with Danny briefly before she sent him a wordless message of

_Danny?_

_Yeah, Val?_

_If you can't defend yourself because of your secret, then I will._

_Val-_

He tried to reconnect, but she'd already marched forward.

"I've had enough. You know I used to believe that being an A-lister was all that was important. That that was the big picture, but I was wrong. You guys aren't friends to each other, you never were. Danny, Sam, Tucker, and even Brandon, Lester, Norman, Mikey, and Melanie know how to be true friends. A true friend cares about you, watches after you even when you don't want help, doesn't care if you can't go to a party, do a single push-up, buy a certain outfit or anything like that! You all need to really think about what you value and rethink it again…" Valerie paused when she locked eyes with Star. "True friends are also not conditional, they're unconditional." Star's face fell slightly and she looked at her hands in shame. Kwan noticed this and a deep frown etched its way onto his face. Lesley and Tyson looked unsure of themselves. Alroy, Dinah, and Megan looked semi-angry or flustered. Dash looked a bit overwhelmed and Paulina looked murderous.

"Righteous, Valerie…" TJ spoke up and gave a double thumbs up. The rest of the Neutrals nodded at her in agreement.

"Isn't she incredible?" Lester sighed before he got the evil-eye from Tucker.

Dash seemed to have reached his limit and turned sharply to march back to his tent. Most of the A-listers followed after him.

"Wow, got to say I don't think _I've_ could've done a better job," Sam spoke up as the Neutrals wandered off to sleep as well.

"Did you really mean all that, Valerie?" Brandon asked.

Valerie turned and smiled at Brandon and the others. "Yeah, I did."

After a bit more talking with the Nerds, Danny and his four friends were the only ones left.

"I'm glad you joined us, Valerie."

Valerie looked over at Danny, who was on the other side of Sam. "Thanks Danny." She glanced at the ground in thought. "The truth is, you didn't ruin my life. You all made it so much richer."

Sam adopted a strange looked on her face as if the idea that she could've meant so much to someone other than Danny and Tucker was foreign. Tucker grinned like a fool and Danny was smiling contently.

Sam smiled eventually. "Normally I don't do this because of my goth indifference, but I think… This could be a exception." She pulled Danny and Valerie into a group hug before Tucker scrambled on Valerie's other side to get in front and join them in the four-way embrace.

They broke apart and then sat silently together, looking at the stars. Sam noticed Danny rubbing a place over his heart. "You okay?"

Danny flinched and looked at his three friends. "Oh…" He glanced down at his chest and frowned a bit in confusion. "I'm not sure… but for some reason… I think my core is growing more. That would explain why I was eating so much before we got to the Ozarks. I suppose my body is just coming into new power, since I do eat human food rather than purely emotion and ectoplasm."

"Hmm… I suppose. Clockwork did say that your core is powerful… Maybe your body _is_ simply trying to keep up." Sam shrugged.

"Makes since," Tucker added.

"Hey Danny, you think you could increase the heat in our tent again. That was heaven," Valerie sighed.

Danny rolled his eyes. "Is that all I am to you people? An air conditioner or heater?"

All four friends laughed lightly on their way to their tents, never noticing the human that had overheard their brief conversation.

zzz

**Ozarks. 6:30 AM.**

Everyone was walking again, they'd packed, eaten briefly and started again on the trail that Tetslaff lead them on. During this part of the trek, the group had come to a part on the trail that lead up the side of a bluff. Most everyone was being very quiet, which was especially odd from the A-listers. The Nerds and Neutrals chatted softly about random things and Danny's group noticed Lancer watching them every now and then. Other than that though, the day was beginning the same as the others.

That was until Danny's body felt a familiar tingle, then his ghost sense fled his mouth and finally something large exploded nearby, causing everyone to scream and loose their footing on the crumbling pathway. People started to fall, including his friends, and Danny was about to jump and blow his secret for their safety, since he knew he could prevent large groups of people from falling due to the Pirate Radio incident, until something grabbed him from behind and jabbed a weapon into his side, causing him to let out a tortured scream when electricity danced across his body. The being then pitched him forward and he fell, just like the other humans with him.

* * *

**Well there we go, things are about to get weird for the group... or well everyone but Team Phantom.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**N/A**

* * *

**Thank you all for your kind words and reviews!**

**Until Next Time, **

**~NoSignal**


	16. Day Three and Four: Ozarks

**Alright, time to resolve that cliffhanger. Sorry for that, but I couldn't resist the urge to use the whole literal cliffhanger thing. Probably was cliche, but oh well. I've always wanted to do it once.**

**This chapter skips around a bit with several happenings. I hope you like it :)**

**For now I****'****m going to say that each chapter will be up every week and a half to two weeks, roughly. I will inform you whenever I get any buffer chapters and can update faster or if something comes up to alter this schedule.**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"One person's craziness is another person's reality." ~ Tim Burton._

zzz

**Ozarks. 7:00 AM.**

The world was spinning and twirling as Danny rolled slash fell down the side of the bluff. The first half was somewhat level, but it changed to a stepper drop of about fifteen feet. He felt the air leave his chest as soon as the earth met his ribs and he was certain he heard a rib crack a bit.

The first thing he heard was the multitudes of groans and moans from everyone else. At the very least he was pretty sure that he could hear everyone's voices. That was one thing he'd noticed from his experience with weapons that neutralized his powers, they didn't effect his general increased senses. His above average sight, hearing, and even smell were left alone. He wasn't a hundred percent sure why this was exactly, though Tucker had at one time talked about the mechanics of such weapons only having so much reach when locking certain strands of DNA. Sam had tried to explain it to him about how all cells have the complete genome and most cells had many DNA strands locked in various places and such so that each could do their own jobs in the right places in the body. Tucker had come in and said that weapons like the Plasmius Maximus simply locked as many DNA strands in as many cells as it could in Danny's body, which had to do with controlling his ectoplasmic powers. Every one of Danny's cells could use his powers, which is why he could fire ectoplasm from any place… even his rear. So if they locked down enough of that portion of his genome in his cells, he couldn't fly or attack, but his senses remained. Danny simplified it and generally said that the weapons didn't have enough juice and so far Plasmius hadn't been able to make an efficient enough weapon to power every cell down. That brought another thought to his mind. What _was_ the weapon that had been used? Was Plasmius around? Which ghost or ghosts were there? He had sensed a ghost or ghosts nearby before he'd been powered down and some part of him wished he'd gotten the chance to learn more about ghost sense from Danielle.

"Danny? Danny are you okay?"

Danny huffed slightly and looked up to see Sam stumbling towards him. She was dirty and there was some blood smeared on her thigh. He could see a tear in her purple leggings.

"You're bleading…" Danny murmured.

"So are you, here, quick." Sam pulled out some gauze from her pack as quickly as she could and wrapped Danny's forearm which was leaking red blood that glittered slightly in the sunlight. "Good news is you can't see the difference between your blood and normal people's blood when it's dry and on a piece of gauze. They can't see your sparkly blood, ghost boy." She teased slightly.

Danny grunted and looked up and around. "What about everyone else?"

"Valerie's helping Tucker and I think everyone else is pulling themselves up. Dinah has a sore ankle since it got hit against the ground when she fell sideways, Lester has a semi-bad cut on his forehead, Mr. Lancer has a slightly hurt back… and-"

"Bella!"

Danny and Sam cringed at Tucker's shriek, knowing immediately what he was referring to.

"Oh calm down, Foley. It's just a gadget. You can get a new one eventually."

"Not one like Bella!"

Danny then picked up the sound of Dash's voice, crying out a bit. He stood up and Tucker, Valerie, and everyone else nearby started making their way slowly towards Mrs. Telstaff, Mr. Lancer and Dash. Alroy, Kwan, and Tyson were standing around looking down at Dash who had his foot wedged underneath a stone. The three jocks were trying to lift the stone but were lifting without any timing so two would lift and then one would come late and vice versa.

"Hey guys quit that for a second and try to pull at the same time. You need to lift with your legs all at the same time," Danny spoke up, drawing some people's attentions.

Dash hissed slightly in pain when the three other boys let go.

"What would you know about lifting, Fenton?" Alroy asked with slight frustration. Danny could tell he was worried about Dash though.

Mr. Lancer looked over Danny briefly before nodding. "I think you should take Mr. Fenton's advice. All of you need to lift at the same time."

"That or you could let Dash chew his own foot off," Sam added morbidly.

Alroy, Kwan, and Tyson looked at each other in slight disgust before turning to try once more. Danny wanted to help, but enhanced strength was not one of the things he had access to when powered down. He felt Tucker walk up beside him and his friend whispered.

"Dude, why didn't you go ghost? I mean I know a secret and all but I thought falling down a bluff would be one of those exceptions."

"I… Someone zapped me with a weapon like the Plasmius Maximus and then tossed me down with everyone."

"Bummer."

"That means they're still nearby…" Valerie murmured quietly as the four and everyone else watched the stone get lifted enough to free Dash's foot. Mrs. Telstaff looked at the quarterback's foot and stated that a couple of the toes seemed to be broken and it was obviously sore form being partially crushed, but he could walk, if painfully.

"Yeah, my ghost sense caught them before I was zapped. We need to get moving. I have no idea how long the weapon that got me will last."

"Did you see who it or they were?" Sam asked quietly.

"No, they grabbed me from behind. I was too focused on the fact that my class was falling down the side of a cliff," Danny replied with a bit of sarcasm.

"Alright then, how is everyone else?" Mrs. Tetslaff suddenly spoke up and looked around at everyone. Most looked a bit disheveled but they were intact. Sam had already bandaged up her own cut on her thigh and Lester had had Melanie clean his cut and bandage it.

"What was that!?"

"Yeah how did we fall?"

"I heard an explosion!"

"Me too!"

"Everyone, settle down!" Mr. Lancer called out.

Their voices died down as both teachers stood before the students. Danny, Sam, Valerie, and Tucker rooted through their bags which had remained mostly in tact, which was at least one good thing. A few people had lost their possessions and packs, but that was to be expected. Between the four friends, they found a couple of wrist rays and a blaster. The Fenton ghost fisher was snapped in half and the two specter deflectors had been broken from the fall.

"And so we need to find a way back to the trail," Mr. Lancer concluded.

Danny perked up at that. "No wait!"

Everyone looked over at Danny and that was when Danny realized he'd just put his foot in his own mouth. That was usually Tucker's job.

"What do you mean, Danny?" Freddie asked.

"What's wrong, Fenton?" Mrs. Tetslaff asked.

"Uh… I um…" Danny stuttered. Then of course Sam did an amazing job of saving him.

"We have a ghost detector with us because Danny's parents are paranoid and we think a ghost caused the explosion and our fall."

"I think it's a very malevolent ghost or ghosts and we need to get away," Danny picked up.

"A ghost you say?" Mr. Lancer spoke up, interrupting whatever response Tetslaff had had ready.

"Uh, yes sir. I don't know which one since I didn't see it or them…" Danny replied cautiously.

Lancer nodded briefly. "I see…"

"Do you think Inviso-I mean Danny Phantom will come? He was in St. Louis…" Paulina spoke up.

"He was kinda busy wasn't he?" Dash asked and grimaced when he leaned too heavily on his hurt foot.

"It doesn't matter. _We _have to get going. Really if it's any of the ghosts I'm thinking it could be, we're in deep trouble. We have to get away from the trail and find another way to civilization," Danny spoke up again.

"Why should we listen to him, Mr. Lancer?" Alroy asked.

"Because Mr. Fenton's parents know more about ghosts and the like than any of us and I doubt he would lie about such a thing," Mr. Lancer answered calmly.

Tetslaff sighed and looked at Danny evenly.

"I know the stars and which way is west, east, north, south and more… If we don't have a compass any more," Danny added.

"We still have a couple compasses, but knowing that will be helpful incase the fall altered them at all," Tetslaff answered and looked around. "We need to get out of this hell of a ditch first though."

Lancer sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Hey this way is pretty easy!"

Everyone turned and looked over to see Tucker halfway up the other side of the large ditch like area.

"How'd you get up there, Tucker?" Norman called out.

"I uh… climbed?" Tucker stated in slight confusion.

"Come on!" Sam called out in slight annoyance, practically joining Tucker up in the same place within a minute or so.

Danny nodded to Valerie and the others and moved that direction. Valerie followed right behind him and the others slowly trailed behind and followed them up to the top of the ridge. Some had a bit of trouble, but they all eventually made it up.

They were now on the opposite side from where the pathway had once been. Tetslaff looked around and figured in her mind where they were. "Alright. I think I can get us to another place I know of."

"That's good, let's go. They could be on us at any time," Danny said.

"You sound a little paranoid, Fenton. Why wouldn't they have already attacked us if they were nearby still?" Brad asked calmly.

"Don't underestimate how manipulative a ghost can be. They can formulate very complicated plans and carry them out," Danny replied.

"Why would they care that much if we got away?" Mikey asked nervously.

Danny gulped slightly. "Well, if it's a particular ghost I know, he might want to hunt us…"

"Hunt us!?" John yelped out.

"Dios Mio…" Richard swallowed.

"Or it could be a ghost that dislikes me particularly because I well pissed him off a couple times," Danny continued.

"That could be almost any ghost," Tucker muttered which got him an elbow to the side form Valerie.

"Why would a ghost hate you?" Brandon questioned.

"Yes Mr. Fenton, why would a ghost hate you?" Lancer pressed.

For some reason, Danny could tell that Lancer was trying to trap him with words and he wasn't sure why. "My parents are ghost hunters, why else?"

Lancer grunted at the answer, while the rest seemed to take the excuse.

"Come on then, let's head on some more…" Tetslaff spoke and waved her hand towards the deep woods. Everyone moved out behind her as quickly as they could and Dash moved along the best he could, trying to avoid hurting his foot too much.

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 10:40 AM.**

"Do you ever get tired of yourself? Sickened by the way you toy with people? You have to. I mean you twist people and mold people and make everything work out the way you wan-"

"Finding fault in others does not fulfill the emptiness in yourself, Dan."

Clockwork had his back to Dan's Thermos and for this he was glad since he could easily hide the tiny smirk that came to his face when Dan growled in frustration.

"No matter what you say you can't deny I'm right."

Clockwork frowned. Dan was true in some ways, but at the same time… he had to turn the conversation back to the subject of Dan and not himself.

"Perhaps, but what I find more interesting is that you're actually trying to blame me for things at all… Trying to find fault in me to alleviate your own… guilt, perhaps?"

Dan roared. "No! I have no guilt! I have no remorse! You on the other hand, should!"

"Now we're judging others on the none existent moral compass you possess?"

Dan spluttered a bit and then hissed, making his thermos rattle. "Just because I know what's right and wrong doesn't mean I feel the need to do what's right!"

"So we've moved from unfeeling to feeling and not caring? My goodness, Dan. I didn't expect you to improve so quickly."

Clockwork quickly moved out of the main room as fast as he could to escape the wave of curses and horrid language that spewed from Dan's mouth. Yeah he probably had pushed him and bit too far with that last comment… but then again, no matter how hard he pushed, so long as he was pushed in the right direction…

That's all that really mattered.

zzz

**Ozarks. 1:37 PM.**

People were wheezing and there wasn't hardly and single person sweating to some degree… except maybe Sam, since goths simmer.

"How much further do we have to go? I'm dying!" Lesley called out in desperation.

Everyone gave a brief groan and they slowed some. They hadn't really been going much faster than a jog in some places, but they'd been going almost none stop. Even good ol' Mrs. Tetslaff was getting tired. Lancer well… he practically flopped to the ground when they stopped.

Danny took in a few deep breaths and was mostly fine. Yes he was a bit winded since he didn't have access to his super strength or endurance, but his normal body had strengthened as well from Sam's own insistence. She had said it would be a good idea for him to strengthen himself without the use of his powers and he couldn't be more grateful for her suggestion than right now, especially since Tucker had collapsed right next to his feet. To be fair, Tucker had gone strong for most of the way, it was maybe only the last little bit that had really gotten to him.

"So we just keep going like this? For how long? What about sleep? Food? Water?" John gulped out.

"We have to. We don't have much choice," Sam expressed.

They were able to rest for about five minutes before something caught Danny's ear. The tiny subtle noise of a weapon being charged and then he saw a tiny almost invisible mark shine on TJ's torso.

He dove.

The ectoplasmic shot exploded and the noise echoed around the woods they were in, causing many people in the group to scream or shout in fear.

"Go! NOW!" Danny yelled out, helping the stunned and shaking TJ up and shoving him so that he could start to run.

Everyone took off as fast as they could.

"The hell was that!?" Dash cried out, desperately gritting his teeth to ignore the agony of him running on two broken toes.

"Well from what I saw, it looked like a particle accelerated ectoplasmic gun withe a built in electro-pulma-"

"For the love of God, english, Foley!" Star yelled.

"A gun powered by ectoplasm and altered to use a shock of electricity that more thoroughly harms corporal… I mean human flesh!" Norman exclaimed before leaping over a log.

"So we _are_ being hunted!" Megan squealed.

"Yeah that's the bad news, good news is I think I know who," Danny replied and huffed.

_Although I'm having my doubts about whether or not Skulker's the only one… _

_I'm worried too. Skulker usually has to flaunt the fact that he's hunting you… or anyone. Something weird is going on here._ Sam replied.

_I'm wondering the same thing. And are we going to go without food or sleep? How will we hide from Skulker?_ Valerie asked.

_Skulker can smell fear, so if we can just keep everyone semi-calm it should be okay. We still have some rations in our packs so as long as Tetslaff isn't leading us through the scenic route, everything should be okay… I hope._ Tucker spoke up.

_I don't know…_ Valerie started before Danny had to cut off the connection.

"Who is hunting us?" Kwan asked worriedly.

"Ghost named, Skulker. He's a hunter and likes rare and valuable prizes," Danny answered.

"Oh no! He's hunting me because of my flawless skin and angelic-like beauty!" Paulina cried out in horror.

Danny had to stop himself from bursting out laughing at the idea. Skulker would never have anything to do with Paulina. She wouldn't be much of a challenge.

_At least I would be a challenge even if I'm not a Halfa like you, Danny._ Valerie couldn't help but message.

_Very true._ Danny replied simply.

"Sure that's it…" Sam grumbled in annoyance.

Another shot rang out and Danny jumped to avoid a splatter of earth and foliage.

They all got a bit more quiet and focused more on running.

zzz

**Ozarks. 6:57 PM.**

They'd run for a long while and walked more after that before finally they were able to find a cave to hide in. It was a lucky break to be honest since they had had to ditch their tents along the way so they could run better.

Everyone piled into the cave and huddled into their cliques like normal. Danny kept glancing outside at the place they'd come from, looking in the woods for any sign of Skulker or anything else. What was weighing the most on Danny's mind though was that he wasn't sure if Skulker could detect his weak ectoplasmic signature. Then again he wasn't sure if he had all his powers back yet or not; he hadn't exactly had the chance to check and see.

"We need to build a fire,"Alroy pushed.

"No, we can't or it will make things easier for him to find us. The light will draw him to us," Tucker informed quietly and calmly.

"We have to gather together for body heat or nothing at all," Sam continued.

The A-listers and Nerds looked at each other with hesitancy and then looked away.

Slowly everyone started to get more quiet and they were definitely sleepy by the time the sun started to disappear.

Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie sat near the opening to the cave looking out over the woods as it was getting darker and darker.

"You guys should go to sleep," Danny offered.

"Nope, you're stuck with us," Valerie replied.

"Don't even started with that, Danny," Sam continued.

Danny frowned and then rolled his eyes. "But you guys can't even see out in the dark by now. I can see because of my enhanced vision."

"Yeah yeah, whatever…" Tucker teased and nudged Danny slightly.

Danny only smiled and shook his head.

"Can you access your powers yet?" Sam asked and laid a hand down on Danny's.

Danny sighed and lifted up his other hand. He focused and a mere flicker of green flashed there for a second and then died.

"No… I have no idea what they zapped me with. I've never been without my powers for this long." Danny sighed.

As the night went on and Lancer switched out with them for guard duty, never knowing that Danny lingered somewhat awake, the four friends similarly never knew that their talk had once again been witnessed.

zzz

**Ozarks. 5:23 AM.**

"Come on. I know you're all tired but we have to go," Danny pushed the next morning. All the students sighed or groaned in agitation, but didn't argue too much. It seemed that being shot at by a strange ghost hunter thing made them less likely to make a fuss.

They grabbed up what little they'd unpacked and moved out of the cave. They started to follow Tetslaff once more hoping the gym teacher did know what she was doing.

"So what is this Skulker guy like? Is he hunting us because of you, Fentoni- I mean uh… Danny."

Danny blinked and almost stopped walking entirely when Dash called him by his first name. "What did you call me, Dash?"

Dash grumbled. "Just answer the question, Fenton!"

Lancer glanced back and merely shook his head to himself.

Danny sighed. "Skulker, like I said once before, likes rare and valuable prey."

"Why does he want you?" Alroy sneered a bit.

Danny raked a hand down the side of his face while Sam gave them A-listers the evil eye. "Because my parents hunt him in return…"

Norman paused in thought and looked at the group. "Is some of it because you guys sometimes have helped Danny Phantom, briefly?"

Dinah perked up and looked over. "Exactly! You three at least helped him back in St. Louis! The Wraith Mansion, yeah?"

"What? Do you geeks, like, ghost hunt too?" Dash asked and then looked at Danny. "And where were you during then, Fenton?"

The four friends looked at each other in slight surprise. Lancer watched them carefully and rose a single brow when Dash mentioned that Danny hadn't been at the Wraith mansion hunting ghosts or what not. Mrs. Tetslaff was too busy making sure they were heading the right way.

"I was um… in the bathroom?" Danny offered.

"And we only help every once in a while," Tucker chuckled nervously. Sam elbowed him hard.

"What Tucker means is, when we notice something's up… we provide support," Valerie offered.

Lancer looked over each of the four teens closely and discreetly as the other students asked more questions. Something stirred in Lancer's head at the realization that Danny was still using the ol' bathroom excuse. _Where was he when the other three were huting ghosts..._ For some reason, he felt like the answer was right at the fringes of his mind.

"So then he's kinda your enemy too," Brandon offered.

"More Phantom's than ours," Sam cut him off.

Before anyone else could start up again, another gun shot went off and this time, someone cried out in pain.

"Tucker!" Danny, Sam, and Valerie shouted. Sam turned to looked at the others and growled.

"RUN NOW!" She yelled and everyone started to run as Valerie hefted Tucker unto Danny's back. Tucker grit his teeth when he shifted and Sam saw the trail of blood. Tucker had been struck in the lower calf.

"Guys… I think you should leave me or something…" Tucker gasped in slight pain. He was spasming slightly from the small electrical current the shot was infused with.

"You're joking right? Tell me you're joking, Tucker," Sam hissed as they took off. Valerie tried to help keep Tucker from unbalancing Danny too much.

"Oh believe me, he _is_ joking," Valerie growled and looked up into Tucker's eyes. She almost stuttered when she saw the conviction that had suddenly come into them.

"Something tells me he isn't. Good news is, he doesn't get to make that choice," Danny spoke up between pants.

"Guys-" Tucker started but Sam shook her head. Tucker knew to keep quiet about it from then.

"What really gets me is that he actually didn't kill you," Danny muttered.

"Well gee thanks, dude," Tucker grumbled.

"Not like that! Skulker's got bad aim most of the time, but he doesn't have that bad of aim. I mean that's like," Danny flinched. "Like my dad's aim."

"You have a point. It's almost like he missed on purpose," Valerie responded.

Danny grit his teeth in anger. "He probably did it to get at me."

"Don't do that, dude," Tucker spoke up from the back.

"Right… right," Danny calmed.

They were eventually able to catch up with the others and after some more running and then fast walking, the group felt like they'd found a place they could hide and rest if only temporarily. Sam went to work cleaning and bandaging Tucker's wound the best she could. Luckily, it had only skimmed the back of the calf and didn't go through it.

"This is getting to be too much. Too much!" Tyson wailed watching as Tucker grit his teeth and gripped the rock he was on when Sam tightened the binding she'd made.

"The geeks are going to get us killed!" Alroy growled out.

"Yo! Fenton saved my hide and these dudes and dudettes are trying to keep us still kicking, you fool!" TJ snapped.

It seemed as though the A-listers were picking arguments with the Neutrals, Nerds, and of course Team Phantom. The teachers started to try and calm everyone down, but Danny interrupted whatever commands they were going to give.

"Now is definitely not the time to freak out and break down any little unity we have here," Danny practically growled.

Another shot rang out and bounced off the stones nearby. Everyone took off running again; this time, Valerie was able to move with Tucker leaning heavily on her. Sam's work on his leg at least made it bearable.

They ran further and further through the woods breathing hard and starting to wear down. Danny realized quite tragically that they would fall before Skulker tired. After all, Skulker didn't need to sleep, didn't need to rest… These truths weighed heavily on Danny's mind as people started to slow and not be able to run even for their lives anymore.

Dash tripped and fell to his knees. Running for so long was one thing. Running for so long and trying to avoid using part of your foot was another. He'd only wavered once and landing heavily on his broken and sore toes had caused him to fall.

"Dash," Danny breathed out and turned back.

"Danny, wait," Sam called.

Everyone seemed to slow and try to catch their breath.

"He's going to kill us… I know it," Dash whined out.

Danny let out a sigh and looked around, not seeing, hearing or noticing anything suspicious. He held out a hand to the downed Dash. "Come on Dash… I know you can get up. Imagine I've stuffed your teddy bear collection into your locker again."

Dash looked up at Danny in confusion. "Why are you doing this? How can you keep going? We're being shot at. Your best friend _got_ shot. We've practically been running for a day or more and if we get caught, then that ghost will likely want to waste you!"

Danny blinked and then he snickered a bit. Sam, Tucker and Valerie glanced at each other in worry and everyone else thought for a moment that Danny had snapped.

"Dash…"

"Uh, yeah Fenton?"

Danny looked down at the boy and sighed. "I wake up everyday dodging a gadget my parents make, I go to school and fail almost everything I put to paper and looked around corners trying to avoid you, I get out of school hoping to have a chance to relax with my friends only for some random ghost attack to happen that may or may not lead to me…" He paused and then looked at Dash with a bit of sadness. "I hardly can tell the difference much any more between this and what normal should be… but I think that can be the problem sometimes when you think about it. Who can say what is normal? I know I can't. I can't keep everyone safe here… on my own. That's why I have Sam, Tucker, and Valerie. I would go nuts without them. I know you're feeling small, but you can make a big difference if you try."

Brandon perked up, recognizing the tone of voice Danny was using. It was the same one he'd used with him months ago.

Dash blinked and some small part of his brain went back to that one day that he was trapped as a tiny ant with Danny Phantom. _Why did Fenton with his friendly and outstretched hand remind him so much of Danny Phantom?_ He glanced over at Mr. Lancer and saw the old teacher nod his head solemnly. With a great deal of courage, in which many would not think could come from Dashiell Baxter, he reached out and grasped Danny's hand.

"Don't… Don't think this is too permanent, Fenton… I mean… you're still a geek, no matter how many crazy moves you can do and stuff."

Danny only smiled. "I'm actually more than okay with that."

The group then moved off, with Danny and the rest of the Team Phantom being surprised by Dash's attempt or semi-attempt to reach out. Danny's mind on the other hand returned to something more worrisome.

_Where had the hunter gone? Why weren't they being shot at any more?_

zzz

**Ozarks. 7:34 PM.**

"So… you really can drive a space ship?" Kwan asked after a moment and looked at Danny.

The group had found a new place to settle down after a long trek through the seemingly never-ending forest. They'd also eaten some of their rations they had left. Really though, they all looked like hell even after hardly two days.

Danny nodded slowly, a bit surprised by the seemingly normal question. "Uh, I guess… I mean I've completed the simulation like hundreds of times…"

"So you really do want to become an astronaut?" Brandon asked with a smile.

Danny smiled back. "I'd like to… but I don't know if that's possible for me any more."

Sam seemed to pick up on the underlying sadness in Danny's answer and placed a hand on his arm.

"What, because of your grades?" Brad asked.

"Yeah something like that..." Danny replied and chuckled.

"Mrs. Tetslaff, do you have any idea how much further until we reach civilization?" Valerie asked.

Mrs. Tetslaff turned form a brief discussion with Mr. Lancer. The only light the group had at the moment was the glow from someone's dying cellphone. The bad news about the cell phones was that there was no service and the emergency communicator the teachers had brought had somehow vanished when they'd taken their tumble down the side of the hill.

A bit aways from the rest of the group, Paulina, Star, and Megan were talking with themselves.

"I can't believe Dinah or Lesley… Just sitting over there with the jocks and more importantly the losers…" Megan grumbled. "What are they thinking? Just because they know more about this psycho ghost guy doesn't mean we have to act like we're friends."

"I know!" Paulina exclaimed and then muttered darkly. "Traitors."

Star simply stared at the two girls, blankly.

"So are they like out of the A-listers or something?" Megan questioned seriously.

"That would normally be the answer, but Meg, that would mean we'd be the only three A-listers left," Paulina answered.

"So what do we do?" Megan asked.

"I'm not sure," Paulina murmured.

"We could… you know… become friends with them."

Both Megan and Paulina looked over at Star in shock.

"Star, I think you've gotten like de-hydrated or something," Megan stated.

Star furrowed her brows in frustration. "Maybe Mr. Lancer is right, ya know? I mean… That prank we tried to pull on Danny and then watching Dash and his 'pals' shove Danny's head underwater on his birthday… Does that not bother you guys?"

Paulina and Megan looked at each other uncomfortably.

"And he's _still_ trying to help us regardless. They all are!" Star almost yelled.

"He's a-" Megan started before Star cut her off.

"Good bowler, can fly a space ship, apparently is some kind of artist since he was carving on that little sculpture before all this craziness… Look. I think there's some merit to what Lancer was talking about and to what Valerie was talking about." Star sighed and looked at the two girls. "I want to have more friends and I want them to be real. I want to learn more about them and why they are the way they are."

"So our friendship isn't real?" Paulina asked and stood to look into Star's eyes evenly.

"Did you know I have a four point one GPA? That I like tennis more than football? That I know how to make gluten free foods, because I have to watch how much gluten I eat?" Star asked seriously.

Paulina paused in shock and her mouth eventually snapped shut. "I… Star…"

Star smiled. "Paulie… Is there anything… I don't know about you?"

Paulina frowned and looked down at Megan, who shrugged. Paulina looked over at the larger group with a small disgruntled frown.

"Can we talk for a bit and then maybe…" Paulina started.

"Yes. The answer is yes," Star replied and gave her friend and strong hug. Paulina paused for a moment before hugging Star back with just as much strength.

"I actually think video games look fun, but I've never tried to play one before…"

"No way!"

Several minutes later, the group started to get ready to sleep. Danny though, was anxious. They hadn't been cased or shot at since earlier that day. There had been a long pause in any sort of attack or move on the enemy's part. Could he or they or whoever be waiting for a chance to get them when their guard was down? The very thought made sleep seem like an impossible endeavor for Danny and his friends. He could tell that though their eyes were closed, they weren't peacefully sleeping. On the flip side, actually talking like civilized human beings er… sentient beings with the A-listers was… pleasant. Though Paulina, Megan, and Star never made it over to them before time to sleep, it was nice; even if it would end when or if they got out of this mess. His powers were starting to come back and unlike the normal Plasmius Maximus, they were returning slowly rather than all at once.

Danny shook his head and carefully pulled out the half-finished deer he'd started on. The basic shape was there, though the ears, tail, and correctly proportioned legs were absent. Danny let a sigh escape his lips and snuggled deeper into his sleeping bag.

He would just be glad when this was all over and he could fly with his little sister around Amity Park. May he never go on another Class Field Trip of any kind ever again, so help him God.

zzz

**Amity Park. 7:59 PM.**

Madeline Fenton smiled at she walked up the steps to the living room. She was in a great mood. After all, she'd spent the day training with her husband and two daughters once they'd come home from hanging out around town and had finished the night with figuring out something hugely helpful in her and her husband's attempt to create and mechanism that could flush out Blood Blossom molecules from a human or ghost's system.

It had actually been Jack that had figured it out. Much like the man that had discovered that cowpox could prevent a human from catching small pox, Jack had figured out that using or consuming the fruit of the Lotus trees could counter act the active ingredients in the Blood Blossoms. Of course it had mostly been Jack eating both the blossoms and the fruit behind her back and a quick medical evaluation to make sure eating both plants at the same time didn't hurt her husband, but it had accumulated in the discovery of a life time or… afterlife…whatever. A semi-decent cure to blood blossom poisoning.

Firstly, the Lotus trees' fruit did truly no harm to a human or ghostly body at all. At the very most it put a human to sleep and put a ghost into a semi-intoxicated like state. From what Danny had told them and even what Danielle could tell them about themselves was that caffeine or really anything that would normally be a stimulant to a human required a larger dose to affect a ghost. This also was determined by the power of a ghost as well. These had been the first few clues Maddie had needed.

Ghosts and their bodies seemed to be highly dependent on natural energy, which in retrospect made sense. It's why ghosts like emotions and why weaker ghosts may work hard to scare humans or even require electromagnetic sources in the earth to even manifest at all. The portal in Amity made this issue non-existent for their ghosts, but none the less... After looking at the interactions Blood Blossoms had with ectoplasm, she and Jack had figured out what the plant actually did to ghosts. While stimulants were a non issue to ghosts, something that could hyper-activate every molecule in their forms was different. Blood Blossom were merely an edible plant to a human with mostly a carbon formed body, but the materials in the plant naturally excited the ectoplasmic formed bodies of ghosts and denatured them for the plant to use. The molecules actually went into hyper drive and then started to attack themselves in a frenzy of something similar to an autoimmune response. This is what caused all the pain and symptoms as well as the damage from prolonged exposure.

The shortened version: the Lotus tree fruits neutralized the Blood Blossoms if mixed in the right proportion of fruit to blossom molecules.

All of the trial and error had been worth it, even going into the Ghost Zone without their children's knowledge. She only wondered why the people of the Far Frozen hadn't figured anything like this out before since their culture was so advanced. The answer she came to quickly was that they had no way to safety analyze Blood Blossoms since they couldn't even touch the plant, much less travel into the human world to find the blossoms. Blood Blossoms couldn't exist in the Ghost Zone since they'd absorb too much ectoplasm and the energy from the zone would make them over-saturate themselves.

Not only had she and her husband figured out something that could save two of her children's lives, but they'd also discovered a species of plant that had found a secondary method of energy use that wasn't photosynthesis… even if it didn't rely on ectoplasm solely and indeed used photosynthesis as their major method of energy formation.

Maddie snapped out of her scientific thoughts when she walked back into the den with a glass of milk in one hand. She'd even gotten the hang of subconsciously handling the territorial hotdogs in the fridge.

Dani groaned from the couch.

"Still sore sweetie? I told you that stretching before practicing round-house kicks is important," Maddie spoke up as she neared her daughter.

"Yeah I know… Lesson learned," Dani whimpered slightly when she moved her leg from across the couch to thump against the floor. Now with a spot free, Maddie sat. "Where's Mr. Fen- I mean, Dad?"

Maddie smiled down at her daughter. Though she'd been able to grow fairly accustomed to her knew life, she did slip from time to time and forget to call them mom or dad. At least she did have Danny's ability to adapt. She'd always known her son to be good at that; it somewhat made up for his terrible math skills, ghost hunting or not.

"He's um… in the bathroom." Yeah that was good way to put it. The downfall to their new cure? Irritable bowels.

"Oh, did he try to eat the hot dogs again? Oh! Did you notice they've formed a pack mentality, by the way? They have a hierarchy and everything!" Dani piped up.

"No and no I didn't. How'd you notice?" Maddie asked.

"I was looking up things about training dogs… learned about wolves too. I don't think those sites know much about ghost dogs though. Cujo, curtain!"

At Dani's command, Cujo appeared, laying at their feet on the ground. He'd been invisible.

"You taught him how to appear and disappear on command?" Maddie asked and smiled.

"Yeah, in case of a short notice kinda thing."

"Why, curtain, as the command?"

"Cause, someone could say the word appear or something similar and he'd possibly appear by _their_ command. This way it's harder for someone else to make him show up."

"Ah I see, the word curtain is more obscure, similar to code or the like."

"It's like someone appears from behind a curtain. I donno it sounded cooler when I thought of it."

"Sounds fine to me. What's the command to disappear?"

"Vanish."

"Interesting." Maddie shook her head. She'd wanted to tell Dani the good news and she'd gotten off topic with the dog. Cujo jumped up into the couch and into Dani's lap. Dani started to pet him on the head and Maddie absentmindedly stroked the puppy's back. "I was wanting to tell you something important. Did Danny ever tell you about Blood Blossoms?"

"Yeah I think he mentioned it once. We would run into each other from time to time before the whole thing with Valerie and Vlad happened last. Then, I kinda got as far away from Amity as I could for a bit since I didn't want to be near Vlad."

Maddie had to prevent herself from cursing Vlad out loud again. It seemed as though the memories of him ever being a friend to her and Jack were becoming more and more abstract and less real as she learned more and as time went on. It made her wonder if he'd ever been the man she and her husband thought he'd been.

"Well me and your father just discovered a way to cleanse the body of Blood Blossom molecules. It won't be nearly as much of an issue as it was before…" Maddie trailed off. She looked at her daughter's face carefully. Yes Dani was a clone, but at the same time, there was an unmistakable love that surged through Maddie's body seeing her. Yes, she was meant to be this girl's mother.

"Is that why dad is still in the bathroom?" Dani asked and scrunched her nose in disgust.

Maddie sighed. "Unfortunately, that is a side effect."

"Mads! I need some Fenton Wipe, Stat!"

Maddie flinched at Jack's voice barreling up from the basement's bathroom and Dani turned a bit green.

"Ewww!" Dani wailed in disgust.

"Don't worry about it sweetie. It's just a minor side effect." Maddie went to get up before she noticed something on the TV. Somehow the channel had gotten put on the government broadcast station for Amity. It mentioned something about some minor new add-on to a littering law or something and then that fact that their mayor, Vlad Masters, had been on a vacation leave for about five days. Something about that particular day count bothered her and she started to think about why that was.

"Mom? You okay?" Dani asked after her mom had been frozen for several seconds.

Dani calling her, mom, snapped the picture into focus. Danny… Field Trip… They left home about five days ago.

"Dani… go get your sister."

"Mom?"

"She's in her room working on her second volume about her psychology and ghosts theory paper. I need you to get her. I have to go help your father. Tell her to look up the topics of the day for Amity's government broadcast station."

"Ooookay?" Dani stated slash questioned before turning and running upstairs.

Maddie marched down into the lab. First she had to find the Fenton Wipe and then she had to tell her husband that she was afraid their good ol' collage buddy might be up to something.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 1:29 AM.**

He paused and panted behind the rock he was hiding near. More accurately, he was hiding in the rock's shadow. He was hate, envy, evil in all it's glory, of course he'd hide in a shadow and wait for the best moment to appear. Best moment for him, not you. Although, the problem with hate, greed, and all the above was that it was an inefficient machine; it took so much heavy, bloody fuel to get a tiny bit of reward. Not that he of all things cared, except it made living on his own, without others to fuel him, as easy as it was for fire to exist without oxygen.

He was so close and he couldn't simply use the infinite power inside the ring and crown he'd commandeered because the artifacts would most likely burn up his body rather than him use their powers. That was why the crown and ring together were so hard for someone to control. A ghost or being had to have a massive amount of power in order to feed the artifacts and reach equilibrium between their body and the objects, before reaching into the hidden reserves of power inside them.

He couldn't even start making an army of vicious and mindless monsters yet because he had to conserve every bit of power he had to accomplish this first goal. He needed a better body. He could never change the _true form_ he now had, but he could infect another body and use it like a puppet.

He gazed up at the massive floating island beyond the last gap of the void he had to cross with his own power… and then it wasn't like a being easily gives up its body to be possessed and incorporated into something greater which is not entirely of their own mind anymore.

He pulled himself up out of the earth and his black and purple form bubbled and gurgled in slight weakness. He then opened… eyes and a mouth. His eyes were ringed with a thin line of white and their corneas were black and the irises were white and the pupils black again. His mouth was a bright white which showed a large white toothed grin born of madness… or mindlessness. At this point it wasn't much difference for Malus.

He jumped off the ledge and flew as quickly as he could towards Pariah Dark's castle. The good news for the beast of hate was that trapping insanely powerful ghosts or beings in a confined space wasn't always a good plan. It made it easier for the prey to not escape.

zzz

**Clockwork's tower. 1:47 AM.**

Clockwork flinched in the middle of his work with the rows and rows of hourglasses he kept. Each one guarded the timeline of a living creature. It was in this way that Clockwork and Reaper worked hand in hand. He'd tell Reaper when someone's time was up and then the Death bringer would go and guide their soul to where it belonged…

Why else would such a saying like, 'Your time is up' come from? Humans could be more insightful than they realized at times.

Clockwork looked around, trying to figure out what it was that was bothering him. He then heard a rattling in the far far far back portion of the room. The time spirit picked up his staff from a nearby table and floated into the darkness in the back, passing by billions of timepieces. Eventually he got near the back and noticed seven very large and very slow moving hourglasses. Three had finished their progression and moved no more, three others ran normally and the last one was draining and draining quickly.

Clockwork's red eyes widened in surprise when he realized what this meant. Pariah Dark, the one of the original seven ancients, was falling. It had been inevitable of course, since he'd allowed his own power, as the ideal of Power itself, to consume him. It was why the other six ancient ghosts had had to seal him away in the first place. The way he was falling though, was not natural and Clockwork knew he would have to warn the Observants, Wormhole, and Reaper. He floated out of the dark room, trying his best to ignore the still rattling hourglass as it's glass whined with strain.

The one thing he was thankful of was that he'd had Wormhole make his domain practically unavailable to all those that Clockwork himself saw as unworthy. I little space manipulation can go a long way. Malus could never see nor find his lair.

Thank the Infinite Realms for that. Whether he knew it or not, there was no safer place that Dan could be, than in that tiny Thermos and out of Malus' reach.

* * *

**Well what do you think of all that, hm? I had a bit of trouble also picking the quote for this chapter, but then Tim Burton's quote that has a bit to do with perspective kinda caught my eye. I mean, we've got social cliques trying to work together and understand each other, Dan and all his madness, and Maddie's little thoughts about Vlad, and then of course the master of all nuttiness, Malus himself and his skewed mind? existence? being? He isn't truly a sentient being so I don't know what to call his 'mind'.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**Night of StarClan: That in the end was the Plasmius Maximus, wasn't it? It's the only reason why one of Danny's enemies would electrocute him and then let him go again.**

**Does that mean Vlad's involved now?**  
**Can't that guy take a hint?!**

**NoSignal: Yeah it probably was, hm? :) As for Vlad, well I think you'll all kinda be surprised about what all is going on with him. And No, no that butter biscuit can't take a hint. :P**

**Amber0522: You should have Danny run into his aunt alicia!**

**NoSignal: I would've liked to, but the comment about Alicia was supposed to be more of a joke in this case. Hope that's okay :)**

**Great: PS Interesting, so Clockwork is trying to save Dan from his own darkness. And it looks like its slowly working! I would love to see more of this interaction, please pretty please with a cherry on top?**

**NoSignal: Your wish has been granted even if it was only a little. :D**

**tkb0: While I hated how DxS was portrayed in the show, it's actually rather cute here. I can't believe how this story sucked me in! Way better than PP. **

**And thanks for that rage inducing cliffhanger!**

**NoSignal: Thanks so much! I'm glad I was able to make DannyxSam at the very least bearable for you. I think romance is semi-important in the progression of most characters ever invented, BUT I don't think a story has to have too terribly much of it. I try to make shippings I choose for any story as natural/neutral as I can, while still keeping people to their characters and how they'd be effected by their partner's character.**

**Guest: Will You Do A Pokemon/Danny Phantom Crossover?**

**NoSignal: At this time and place, I don't think it's on my list of stories for the future. Check my profile if you're curious at all about my future projects. However, I've looked at pokemon/DP crossovers and can kinda see some merit to them. Maybe I'll grow fond of them, but at the moment I'm not yet. My profile though, as mentioned, is the place to always check about the future for NoSignalBlueScreen stories :P**

* * *

**Thank you all for your kind words and reviews!**

**Until Next Time,**

**~NoSignal**


	17. Day Five and Six: Ghost Zone

**Okay Guys the date for the chapter after this is going to possibly pushed back a bit. It's the last few weeks of the semester for me and exams, projects, and tests are running rampant. So here's the thing, expect the next chapter to be up sometime between now and the 4th of May. I will of course tell you all if something else pops up. After school's done, I can maybe even go back to something like a chapter every week or week and a half since it'll be Summer.**

**Alright, nothing much else to say except I hope you enjoy this chapter**

* * *

_**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTIONS OF TORTURE AND SOME SLIGHTLY DISTURBING MATERIAL.**_

**That is probably an over-exaggeration, but I like to warn people ahead of time. It's probably not all that bad.**

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_Most hatred is based on fear, one way or another. Yeah. I wrapped myself in anger, with a dash of hate, and at the bottom of it all was an icy center of pure terror.__" _

_~ Laurell K. Hamilton, Guilty Pleasures_

zzz

**Ozarks. 5:20 AM.**

There are many ways to wake from sleep. Sometimes you wake smoothly and without problem, sometimes you wake wondering what day it is, and sometimes you awaken from a dream, nightmare or different reality and must adjust to the change from one world to another.

Then…

There's being awoken by screams of terror and the weight of several grown men forcing you to eat dirt and trying to pull your arms behind your back as quickly as possible. Your sleeping bag is ripped away and you try to access your ghostly core, only to remember that it's been malfunctioning the last couple days. Your intangibility flickers but doesn't last long enough to escape the glowing green binds on your wrists and arms and now your ankles.

It was times like these that Danny wondered if he could even remember a morning he woken up not worrying about… something.

"Who's there!?" Danny cried out and struggled. Even though their ghostly strength severely outclassed even his decent human strength, he certainly wasn't going to make it easy for them.

"You'll know soon enough, Phantom," the aggressor hissed in the Halfa's ear and slammed Danny's head into the dirt once more for good measure. They then drug him forward and Danny could now see that everyone in the group had been restrained, though not to the same degree as Danny, and were looking at their friend, classmate, and student with fear even in the very dim light of the rising sun.

"Hello there, punk."

Danny's eyes flicked over and landed on none other than Walker and…

"Wulf?" Danny whispered. He noticed that Wulf's eyes were glowing red instead of green and he had a strange and somewhat different collar on his neck.

"That's right, ghost punk. Had to put him through enough pain though before I could break him, but I finally tamed the beast," Walker sneered and walked forward to be closer to Danny.

Danny growled and spat in Walker's face. "Wulf isn't just some beast! You're the beast around here!"

Walker growled and wiped his face before he smirked. "Whatever you say, but in the end we now have our prisoners and we can return to the Ghost Zone."

Danny paused; his brain was going a million miles per hour, trying to figure out what in the Infinite Realms was going on. Hadn't Skulker been the one hunting them? Why was Walker here? How'd he know Danny was even going to be in a place like the Ozarks? How did any of these ghosts know he was here? At the moment though, that wasn't important. The safety of his friends, peers, and mentors was most important. "Wait! Okay you've got me, Walker, but let them go! They didn't break any of your rules, alright?"

Walker smiled and grabbed Danny's chin roughly. "They've been harboring a fugitive… that's against the rules."

"Fenton, a fugitive? What the heck are you guys talking about!?" Dash squeaked.

Walker let go of Danny and walked over towards the group, towering over Dash. "You're not very bright, are you?"

"Leave them alone, Walker! You hear me!?" Danny shouted and thrashed against the hold of the goons and his glowing green bindings.

Walker laughed. "Or what?" He backed up and then nailed Danny in the gut making him almost fall to his knees and gasp for air.

Danny growled as Walker turned to address his men. "Thanks to our friendly hunter and our hard work, we've captured our prisoners. Let's go. Wulf?"

Wulf grunted and then turned before clawing a hole into the Ghost Zone.

"Leave them out of this, Walker! I'm the one that bro…bothers you. I'm the one who's tried to hunt you, not them!" Danny grimaced internally, he'd almost mentioned breaking out of Walker's jail in front of the others not part of Team Phantom. He wasn't sure that info needed to be revealed just yet.

Walker chuckled darkly. "Oh I know everything you've done boy. You've wracked up at least ten thousand years, but you're a troublesome one and I think… execution is in order."

Everyone in Danny's group went slack jawed and Sam, Tucker, and Valerie looked horrified.

"What do you say boys?" Walker crowed. His goons started cheering, whistling and shouting in excitement as if they were cheering for their favorite football team instead of calling for the death of someone.

The goons then started steering the group and Danny towards the portal, but Danny dug his heels into the earth and the goons were having trouble moving him efficiently.

Walker hissed and pointed a sparking baton at his classmates. "Unless you want to hear them scream, you won't struggle anymore."

Danny glanced over at the group with a defiant look on his face that slowly melted into one of defeat. He stopped resisting and the goons shoved him hard, making him fall face first. The goons laughed at their prisoner's humiliation. One picked him up and held his restrained arms in an uncomfortable way, forcing Danny forward.

Soon everyone was going through the portal, filled with terror or worry. Dash was in deep thought after seeing Danny stop struggling willingly just to make sure the others there weren't hurt. Dash didn't understand. It seemed like he was seeing a different side of Danny all together. The dweeb could lead people, he could think ahead and he didn't even seem as afraid to die like Dash was certain he would be. Ultimately, all Dash could wonder was what had happened to the wimpy and loser geeks he thought he knew.

zzz

**The Ghost Zone. Walker's Prison. 5:55 AM.**

Lancer was panicking on the inside. Sure being hunted by some ghost out for revenge was one thing, and actually somewhat expected given the town he lived in, but suddenly being captured, trussed up and marched like prisoners of war into a prison that held numerous amounts of ghosts and creatures of all manners was a completely different realm entirely… no pun intended.

When the Fentons had claimed they'd punched a whole into a different dimension… hearing it and seeing it were also two different things.

He had also noticed something else strange about their predicament. Not only did the main ghost in white talk as if he knew Daniel, which helped to confirm his theory even further that the four students had been secretly ghost hunting all along, but they'd also put a different sort of restraint on Daniel.

While the rest of them had normal rope tying their wrists together, Daniel had rope that was glowing green. For some reason Sam, Tucker, and Valerie kept trying to pull away, looking confused at why they couldn't escape.

Did this mean that Daniel had powers? It wasn't just some metaphor?

ooo

_"I'm not sure__… __but for some reason__… __I think my core is growing more. That would explain why I was eating so much before we got to the Ozarks. I suppose my body is just coming into new power, since I do eat human food rather than purely emotion and ectoplasm."_

_"Hmm… __I suppose. Clockwork did say that your core is powerful__… __Maybe your body is simply trying to keep up with you learning more about your abilities."_

_"Makes since."_

_"Hey Danny, you think you could increase the heat in our tent again? That was heaven."_

_"Is that all I am to you people? An air conditioner or heater?"_

_"But you guys can't even see out in the dark by now. I can see because of my enhanced vision."_

_"Yeah yeah, whatever__…"_

_"Can you access your powers yet?"_

_"No… __I have no idea what they zapped me with. I've never been without my powers for this long."_

ooo

Yes, Lancer had been the one to overhear as well as eavesdrop on the four mysterious students. He was quite ashamed about it, but he'd felt at the time that it was necessary, because indeed the four friends were very good at keeping secrets. Sneaking around had been the only option that Lancer could have chosen at the time; he knew he was lucky though, because if this idea about Daniel having powers was true, then he could've noticed Lancer at any time.

However he'd actually come about the information, he realized now that his student my very well have some sort of power… perhaps that accident in the lab had done something to the boy after all.

Everyone was led to a large cage where they were untied and left inside to their own devices, while Danny was led further away, only to give Sam and his other two friends a brief half smile.

From that point on, they hadn't seen or heard from Danny and after about two hours had passed, Sam was getting annoyed and only to herself would she admit, desperate.

"They have some sort of strange gloves that allowed them to hold us and from what I can tell they also got a hold of a hybrid ghost-human shield…" Tucker murmured.

Valerie huffed in frustration and worry. "Yeah I was wondering how they were holding onto us since we're the ghosts in the Ghost Zone…"

Sam was quiet and didn't respond. The others were all in the back, murmuring and talking quietly to themselves. They were interrupted when Sam yelled.

"Hey! Hey you!"

A prison guard that had been making his rounds, stopped. "What is it, human?"

Sam growled. "Where's Danny?"

"Tch, probably with Walker. He's most likely trying to break him one last time, if he doesn't break, then his execution date is set for tomorrow. It's supposed to be a packed crowd. It's been a while since Walker's used the ghostly gallows to send a ghost to their judgement."

Sam glanced nervously behind her at the mention of ghost, but growled at the guard.

"Just stay and watch the show. You only racked up seventy years, so most of you will outlive your prison sentence, if only barely." The guard laughed a bit and then floated down the hall.

"Why in the world would they think Danny is a ghost?" John asked and shifted his glasses.

Everyone stopped talking at the question, especially since some hadn't been observant enough to notice every word the guard had said. Sam, Tucker and Valerie looked at each other in slight panic.

"Danny's pretty good at surprise attacks? He's like a ghost?" Tucker lied lamely and Valerie facepalmed.

"What does he mean he's trying to break Danny?" Star asked worriedly, luckily for Team Phantom, drawing attention away from the horrid lie.

Lancer was watching everything closely and not speaking much, while Tetslaff was trying to calm the majority of the students.

Quite suddenly, they heard an ear-piercing scream of torment. Dash was the first to realize whose it was.

"Fenton?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

Brandon's eyes got wide and he hugged himself as the screams continued.

Sam was massaging her own hands and trying to keep tears from falling. She flinched when she thought she heard a pause or gargled gasp in between his yelling.

"Dios mío. Esto es loco. Querido dios. Querido dios," Paulina muttered, slipping into her native tongue.

"What in blazes…" Tetslaff murmured and seemed to actually get the slightest bit emotional as the screaming continued.

Kwan whimpered and put his hands over his ears. Dinah and Melanie had started to cry themselves and the rest of the nerds were starting blankly in shock until the screams finally tapered off and died.

Eventually food was brought to them, though most only picked at their food and weren't as hungry as normal. About an hour after that, they heard someone walking down the hall. They caught sight of a bloody white t-shirt as two guards took the figure into the adjacent cell. They shackled his limp form to the wall and then left.

"Danny?" Tucker asked aloud, hardly able to find his voice. Everyone was staring in terror at their classmate and student. His body had a couple lacerations across is torso and back that went through the shirt and he several bruises along his arms. His jeans were ripped and tattered as well and he had a blindfold across his eyes that were stained a bit with the blood flowing from a wound on his head. There was also a bit of dried blood at the corner of his mouth.

"Tucker?" Danny croaked out.

Sam was crying now and couldn't stop herself. Danny had always had his powers to help him before and Walker had never gotten Danny back into his prison since that first time Danny had been captured and brought here, though he'd gotten close. To finally see what Walker had been planning for his revenge since then was horrible. "Danny, it'll be okay. We'll get out of this."

They saw a ghost of a smile come to his face. "Yeah… I know. We always do."

In truth, Danny was hurting pretty bad. Fighting against an enemy was never easy, the exception being the Box Ghost, and often ended with wounds of all sorts. He'd even been tortured by Vlad and one could call the two half-ghost's first meeting practical torture since he'd been so outclassed then. He would pull through it; he always did. It was just a matter of getting out of the place before he was executed.

"I swear they don't know what kind of mad they've made me!" Valerie growled and banged her fist into a nearby wall.

Tucker was troubled and in deep thought, trying to figure out a way out of their cell. They just had to find a way out to help Danny. They'd been through too many close calls to count and they all had their share of scars both inside an out that they'd healed or worked through over time; that was one of the things that had made the original trio grow closer and stronger through high school. This was an even closer call, where the evil dude or dudette actually captured them and was going to get to hurt someone. These scenarios were rarer cases and Tucker had to wonder how lucky they actually were for this kind of thing to not have happened more often. Regardless, Tucker made a decision; they were going to get out of here. There was no question; thinking any other way wasn't an option.

Danny took a stabilizing breath and shifted his legs slightly, which were not restrained. "Is everyone okay?"

Lancer was somehow able to come out of his trance and nodded. "Yes Daniel, everyone is alright. We're concerned about you though."

Danny laughed a bit with some trouble. "I guess I don't look that great huh?"

"What did he do to you, Danny?" Sam asked.

"Sam…"

"Danny!" Sam snapped. In that brief moment, Sam forgot that Danny was getting better and sensing emotion.

"Are you crying, Sam?"

Sam paused and everyone flinched, wondering why Danny would think Sam, the goth girl, was crying, but when they looked they realized she was. Paulina seemed to be in slight shock.

"Danny…"

Danny frowned and spoke. "He blindfolded me and let his goons beat me… then he lashed me with a whip two or three times…"

Sam clenched her fist in anger. If she ever got the chance to hunt Walker again, she would make sure he got his due. He'd hurt Danny, not just her friend, but her boyfriend and the person she loved. Sam passionately defended the things she loved.

"I'll heal in a few days, once we escape." Danny smiled half-heartedly.

"Dude, we have to figure out a way out of here before **tomorrow**! They're going to execute you then." Tucker spoke up with a determined look on his face.

Dash finally stood up. "Now wait a second! I want some answers here. Why the heck is this ghost tor…" Dash gulped. "Torturing and wanting to execute Fenton? I mean I know his parents hunt ghosts with Phantom now… but why…?"

Tucker shook his head. "Uh well… Danny…"

Danny took a deep breath, wondering if he was going to regret his next words. One thing he remembered hearing from somewhere though, was that sometimes the best lies have a kernel of truth to them. "I came into the Ghost Zone once to retrieve something I'd knocked into it. Walker caught me and told me I had wracked up a thousand years in ghost prison. He locked me up, but I figured how to stage a jailbreak and he's hated me ever since." Danny answered and shifted his legs again.

"So you guys **have** been hunting ghosts…" Kwan murmured.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie all exchanged another worried glance.

"Technically? Yes. I can't lie about that anymore," Danny muttered.

"So you've actually become a hunter like your parents?" Brandon asked softly.

Danny chuckled a bit. "I suppose…"

"Do your parents know?" Lancer spoke up.

Danny frowned. "They didn't until a few months ago."

"And you three?" Lancer asked seriously and glanced over at the other tree members of Team Phantom.

"My dad knows…" Valerie murmured.

Tucker and Sam merely shook their heads.

"Good lord…" Tetslaff muttered. "Is that why you and Fenton were so inept, Foley? You were trying to keep it a secret?"

Tucker was about to open his mouth, but Sam interrupted him.

"No, Tucker's always been terrible, until the last year and a half or so. Danny got better after Sophomore year." She sent Tucker a sly look and the techno-geek spluttered.

"I was the tech guy though!"

Danny chuckled listening to his friends tease each other. With the blindfold on, he could almost pretend everything else wasn't happening. That is, until his enhanced hearing picked up on the sound of someone approaching. He grew silent before everyone else even saw who was there.

"Come on, ghost boy."

He was restrained and led off again. He focused, wondering if his powers had returned despite the restraints keeping him from going invisible or intangible. Such things didn't normally hinder other latent abilities; would it affect his telepathy?

_Sam?_

_Danny? Are you using your telepathy?_

_Yeah… I was just curious. I think my powers are back, but they've been using the neutralizing rope and shackles on me so it doesn't matter. It's nice to know I can use them though if we find an opening._

_Will you please keep the connection up until you come back. I want to know you're still here._

Danny paused in thought. He knew that his friends could feel his emotions while he was dreaming if they were close enough, so the idea of what else they might receive from him while he consciously kept the connection up slightly worried him.

_No… I… I don't know if I can…_

That was partially the truth. He wasn't sure about that. He felt Sam try to respond and though it didn't seem to be a response filled with impatience or even frustration, he cut off the connection.

zzz

The guards only walked a bit further and Danny realized this room was closer than the last… Would Sam, Tucker, and Valerie be able to feel anything this time?

They opened the door and forced him inside before securing him to a chair. The scene was starting to seem slightly familiar… minus the grudge and the black and white striped prison clothes. The guards turned and left him alone after removing his blindfold.

"Right then…" Walker appeared from the shadows from the back of the room, trying to look as intimidating as possible. Danny could feel the temperature drop and the atmosphere grow dimmer and darker; Walker was trying to spook him with his ghostly aura. That wasn't going to work and now that Danny had his powers back…

He let ectoplasm flood his irises and even start to bleed into sclera some. Danny rarely did this since it looked really less human than he'd like to admit, but he was going to show Walker he wasn't afraid. The temperature dropped even more, since Danny was part ice spirit and could go even colder than neutral cored ghosts; ice started to form on surfaces in the room without Danny's direct interference and it started to feel like gravity's influence had increased suddenly, trying to bare down on everything else in the room except Danny.

Walker sneered. "Looks like you got your powers to come back."

Had Walker known about that? Had one of his goons been the one to zap him? Just what was going on?

"Yeah maybe I did. Just what did you zap me with anyways?"

Walker frowned slightly. "I didn't zap you, Skulker said he did."

Danny narrowed his eyes and stored that bit of info away for later.

"Whatever."

Walker then grew serious and somewhat excited again. "Now, are we going to do this the hard way again. All you have to do is give in, ghost boy… then you can serve out your sentence without going to judgement… yet."

Danny glared at the man and the temperature in the room then skyrocketed from below freezing to sweltering hot. Walker pulled at his collar and growled. "Very well. It seems like you've made your choice." He turned and pulled something off of the table nearby. Danny noticed it was a collar… the kind of collar Walker had used on Wulf and like the one he had tried to use on Sam. "Let's see if one can tame a Halfa… beasts, humans, and even ghosts have their limit. What's yours, Phantom?"

Danny heard a click when the collar went around his neck and then all he knew after that was pain, unbelievable pain.

zzz

"Nothing… I don't see any weakness in the walls, not that that would help much since we'd still have to figure out how to disengage a human-shield from the inside," Tucker grumbled in annoyance. It had been about ten minutes since Danny had been taken away again.

"There isn't much we can do while we're in here. We have to wait until the execution, that's the only time we'll be out of our cages," Valerie stated simply.

"Why would they take us out of our cages then?" Mikey asked in confusion and nervousness.

"To make us watch. Walker wants to make us watch Danny, die," Sam answered plainly.

Star was about to ask another question when Sam froze and clutched her lower chest, Tucker put a hand to his head and Valerie grabbed at her upper chest.

"Guys? Guys what's wrong?!" Norman asked worriedly, concerned something bodily was happening to them.

Sam grit her teeth as tears started to run down her cheeks against her will. "Danny…" She couldn't exactly feel the pain itself, but she could sense his fear, panic, and despair.

"What about Danny?" Lesley ventured.

Sam hadn't even realized she'd said her boyfriend's name out loud. "I… it's… he's… hurting…"

Lancer furrowed his brows in thought. Was this another one of Daniel's strange powers? Could his friends sense when he was in trouble and vice versa? The teacher's head was starting to hurt at everything that was coming at him.

"Wait is that the famous psychic connection you two share?" Melanie asked.

Sam blinked back tears and looked at the red-head.

"You know…" The girl looked at Valerie and Tucker and frowned. "I didn't know it was more than just you though."

"You and Danny always seemed to speak at the same time and stuff. It was one of the reasons everyone thought you two should end up together," Brandon explained further.

Sam mentally shook her head, she might have been even laughing a bit if she didn't feel the hurt in her heart she did now. It stayed there for at least forty minutes, with everyone silently watching the other three gritting their teeth or crying some.

Finally though, the pressure faded and whatever subconscious connection or feeling that had been formed, was gone. Valerie let out a breath and sank to the floor of the cell, while Tucker gripped the hem of his shirt tightly in anxiety. Sam let out a shaky breath herself and tried to dry her eyes.

zzz

Electricity jumped about his skin and tingled through his body like a ravenous fire or living monster. Danny was certain that if Sam or his human self, without his powers having returned, ever had worn this collar, he or she would've died. It was like he was in the portal again, only there was no dull pain building in him or no energy filled core igniting in his chest, next to his heart, this time.

He couldn't help it. Danny cried out in agony and that made Walker smile. After a minute, Danny could smell his skin around his neck starting to slowly burn. It took longer than normal humans, but it could happen, with or without a mutated Ectopus.

Walker finally turned off the collar and Danny stopped thrashing in the chair and settled, panting.

"This is what happens when you break the rules, punk. I hope you're learning a valuable lesson."

Danny growled slightly, but the sound died halfway in his throat, against his will.

"What was that? No snappy comeback this time, Phantom?"

Danny glared at the floor and almost remained that way, planning on waiting out the torture like before. Then though, he remembered something and made the, what he'd consider later, grave mistake of opening his mouth.

"The only problem is that you're a hypocrite, Walker…"

That made Walker freeze. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me… you tell everyone to follow your rules, but you can't even follow your own rules," Danny replied.

Walker's face darkened. "What are you talking about, punk?"

Danny actually smirked for the first time since they'd been brought into the Ghost Zone. "You're breaking the rule… about torturing or harming a ghost by using their death against them…"

Walker sneered. "You died because you were killed by ghosts…"

"No." Danny cut Walker off. "I died when I _became_ part ghost. My death was caused by being _electrocuted_ by the Ghost Portal. You've broken the rules… a few times actually. Maybe you and me can be cellmates, Walker."

Walker's mouth opened and closed several times in shock.

"You've gotten bad information but… Ignorance of law is no excuse for breaking 'em… Punk," Danny finished with a tiny and weak smirk.

Walker's face got dark, blank, and strangely cold before he pulled the handkerchief from his pocket. With the other fist, he clocked Danny, hard.

The chair, Danny was tied to, fell over onto it's back as Walker strode over and forced the cloth down the surprised Danny's throat. He then positioned himself above Danny and started to strangle him. Of course, Danny started to struggling, gagging, and doing everything he could while still tied very tightly to a chair and under the weight of the warden.

"You're going to stay quiet. I follow the rules… Do you know how much disorder would break out if anyone found out I made one mistake!? You always ruin everything, punk, but this time? No more distractions, no more close calls. You're going to die, right here, alone."

Danny let out another choked sound as he tried to take in air instinctually through his mouth, only for the cloth to force him to use his nose. So he started to kick and thrash, because the one thing wrong with Walker's sudden rage filled attempt on Danny's life was that this method would take a while… Danny could last without oxygen even with his human form for close to fifteen or twenty minutes, some full humans could hold their breaths for over twenty. This was going to be a slow way to go and a little less than heroic.

"You worthless, trouble-making boy!" Walker hissed loudly and continued to put pressure on Danny's throat.

Was this really how things were going to end? He wondered if Clockwork was bitting his nails at this moment; the old ghost really was more sentimental than he liked to let on. What would happen to everyone? Even if they all got out with his parents help when they realized the class was missing… He started to think of his mother, his dad, Jazz and Dani… He then focused on Sam… that was the last thing he wanted on his mind as if he was going to die fully.

He continued to kick though and then when Walker leaned even harder on Danny's chest, Danny let out another hindered gasp and kicked even harder. His left leg broke the seat of the chair in half with his enhanced strength. The sound of wood splintering was loud and actually caused Walker to look over his shoulder.

Then Danny heard something that he'd never think he'd be glad to hear. A guard opened the door slightly and spoke, "Boss, you okay?"

"Yeah we heard a ruckus and got worried." The second chimed in.

During this time, Walker had released Danny's throat and had hurriedly stood up. His men couldn't see him trying to murder a prisoner before execution date, there would be questions.

"I'm just fine," Walker replied gruffly and stalked around Danny again. He kneeled as he spoke. "I just got carried away with our guest here." He pulled back his fist and punched Danny twice in the face. The Halfa's body went limp from exhaustion and the powerful blows. Blood started to drip from Danny's nose as Walker pulled out his handkerchief from Danny's mouth and procured a different gag that wasn't black and happened to be his personal possession; he tied the new cloth around Danny's head and then propped the chair back upright. "Come in and take the prisoner back to his cell. Make sure that gag is good and tight. He needs to learn not to talk back." Walker lied on the fly as his men took the unconscious Danny and left.

Walker huffed, still holding the moist handkerchief in his hand. He had to keep the boy quiet. If it was the truth and he had indeed broken the rules… then he'd just have to make sure that secret died with the Halfa.

zzz

"Tucker, something's wrong…" Sam whispered. "Do you feel it?"

"Yeah… why is Danny that scared? I mean… it's not the same as the last time…"

Before they could wonder further, everyone was drawn to the sound and then movement of the two guards bringing Danny back. They shackled him to the wall like before and closed the door to his cell, automatically turning on the hybrid-shield.

"I don't understand! Why are they doing this?" Star blurted finally after everyone had taken the moment to see their unconscious, gagged and bleeding classmate.

"Ghosts are almost as varied as humans. There are good ghosts, neutral ghosts, and evil ghosts. Walker is just one of those really terrible ones," Sam answered and shut her eyes tightly in frustration and emotion. "Son of a bitch."

They froze when they heard a quiet moan.

"Danny," Valerie said.

The boy's blue eyes blinked open and he tiredly looked up at the others across from him.

"Danny… I…" Sam started before she was interrupted by Danny's telepathy.

_He doesn't want me speaking. I told him that he'd been breaking the rules, since he'd been using electricity on me and in the past as well. _Danny paused and Sam could tell merely by the way he paused that Walker had done something unforgivable. _He kinda flipped out._

_What did he do, Danny?_ Valerie cut in with anger dripping of her mental words.

"It's okay, dude," Tucker interrupted out loud, to try and cover up the fact that Danny and the two girls were having a mental conversation. The techno geek noticed Lancer giving him a strange considering look.

_Just beat me up…_

_You're lying._ Sam stated easily right as Danny cut off the connection. He diverted his eyes away and angled the rest of his face away from the group, resting his head against the cold wall.

A very still silence fell on everyone. At the moment, there were no more real questions to ask. The trio from school and apparently Valerie had been fighting ghosts and hunting them since freshman year. Some of their enemies had gotten the jump on them all and now… they were all in big trouble and waiting to see their peer executed, publicly.

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie all tried their hand to talk to Danny again, but couldn't get him to initiate any kind of link.

Eventually though he sent a brief message to Tucker that it was getting late in the human world so everyone needed to get some sleep. Most everyone was able to fall into some type of fitful sleep, while Team Phantom and especially Danny, remained awake, wondering how they'd get out of this one. The only other person that was somewhat awake was Mr. Lancer, who quietly and regretfully glanced at his injured student who'd at one time had simply wanted nothing more than to be an astronaut.

The one quote that came to mind after seeing what his student's hidden life had come to, was from one of his favorite novels that he taught about at Casper High, Lord of the Flies.

"He found himself understanding the wearisomeness of this life, where every path was an improvisation and a considerable part of one's waking life was spent watching one's feet."

Danny was like a soldier and just like his close friends, they were somewhat trapped within the wearisome situation of simply trying to stay alive, watching what they did, said, and even each step they took. It was a life no person, especially no young person should have to live.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. Walker's Prison. 5:00 AM.**

Everyone was roused from their sleep by two guards. A quick glance over at the opposite cell told the group that Danny had been taken earlier.

They were marched down the corridor towards a large courtyard somewhere near the middle of the massive compound.

zzz

**Clockwork's Tower. 5:03 AM.**

"This is getting somewhat serious…" Clockwork murmured to himself as he watched the portal showing the events occurring at Walker's prison.

In the back of the room Dan's voice rose up. "What's going on?"

Clockwork smiled slightly. This day in particular, Dan was being very quiet. It seemed he was tired from fighting within the thermos all last night. For him to be curious as well? That was an even better step. He'd keep that knowledge to himself though.

"Your younger self is about to be executed."

There was a moment of silence before. "WHAT!?"

Clockwork wasn't exactly expecting that sort of response. "What's wrong? Not happy to hear that?"

Dan growled. "No! Of course not! If he goes, I go!"

Ah yes… here was where things got truly complicated. Obviously the future isn't something that is set in stone. Danny could exist without Dan, but could Dan exist without Danny? The truth? Dan could exist all on his own and even Clockwork couldn't destroy him by merely snapping his fingers. He'd have to freeze him and then destroy him with Reaper's scythe if it was actually in his possession at the moment, which it wasn't. No, Dan didn't need Danny and Dan wasn't as dependent on cooperating with Clockwork as he thought either. So it seemed a half truth would do.

"That is incorrect. You are separate from Danny now."

Clockwork waited and there was no reply. It was times like these that he wished he could read minds in the literal sense. He could see the future and know what actions people were going to take, what they spoke about out loud that led to their plans and various other things, but he couldn't truly read minds in the present tense sort of way. That was one of the reasons he liked people go ahead and state their question when they came to him, so he could be certain that the question hadn't changed at all. It was overall a very complicated thing. The point was, he couldn't tell what Dan was thinking presently, even if he knew what things he'd say and do in the future that would determine his fate.

Within the thermos, Dan was quiet. For some reason he was conflicted about something. Practically every part of him was overjoyed that there could be a chance his younger self could be killed, but there was that one part…

Contrary to belief and in accordance to previous actions, Dan did care somewhat for his past self. Sure he was childish, naive, annoying, and over all 'I am holier than thou' when it came to doing the right thing, but ultimately, he could remember being that same boy. Ghost or not, the memories were there, minus most of the emotional attachment.

It was better, he reasoned, for Danny to die and loose his human half. It was better to become like Dan himself if it meant being immune to most pain inside and out. That, as well as admittedly the benefits to being the ruler and conquerer of the worlds, was a good future in his assessment.

And if they were going to use the ghostly gallows then his younger self might even get to paradise, more than Dan could ever hope for.

Yes letting him die was something of a mercy killing, because people are just that. They're human and make mistakes, horrible mistakes, and his humans from the future had made many mistakes with him. Danny would be spared the possibility…

ooo

"_Let me out! I swear I'll tear you in half!" It was one of those days again where Dan was so angry and fueled by rage that he was spouting out anything he could think of, not worrying about the logic behind what was said. "Just destroy me! Or are you afraid to do that!? You know how many ghosts I sent to judgement! Take a guess!"_

"_That would be such a waste of potential…"_

_That had stopped Dan dead in his tracks. "Say what?"_

"_I'll tell you something I learned long ago…" Clockwork started. " It's not just the reward to live... it's... the potential... not the outcome. Any person can end up being hated by everyone for no reason at all other than because people feel like it that day… But maybe they could come to like that same person. It's the potential of either path that is so precious. To not try for the hope of one is to sacrifice the possibility entirely. One day… you could help people with your power and maybe you could find__ happiness__-"_

"_That turned out wonderfully the first time." Dan deadpanned with a snarl._

"_Indeed… the first time… but you…" He could tell Clockwork had smiled one of those smiles. "Have the extraordinary opportunity to try again. It's the potential… That is the key. Keep talking so close-mindedly and you'll start to sound like the Observants."_

_**That**__ had gotten Dan angry and he could only remember the sound of Clockwork's chuckling after that and his own rage filled roars. How he hated that time keeper._

ooo

Was that it then? Dan held his chin in thought and tried to remember for only a brief moment… what _hope and potential_ had felt like. Memories of going to space camp, accidentally brushing his hand against Sam's, hanging off the edge of his seat while he tried to best Tucker at a video game… Other flashes of memories and something strange started to flutter in Dan's chest. It was cooler than normal in there and the strange absence of rage, fury, and the jumbled and rapid thoughts in his fractured mind actually frightened him. He shut it all down and the cold feeling was consumed with the heat of his hot core and the familiar rush of hate surged through his body and mind again.

He heard Clockwork mumble to himself on the other side of the walls of the thermos. He tried to think back to his past self or well… he couldn't really call him that anymore if they weren't connected, regardless of what the hell that was supposed to mean. For some reason thinking of Danny and his dying wasn't as great of news as it had been before.

For some reason… Danny dying made him angry, though he wasn't certain why, however that was an emotion he could always get behind.

zzz

**Walker's Prison. 5:20 AM.**

There were hundreds of guards and prisoners around the courtyard, being held back or caged, though still able to witness the 'event'.

Several guards stood near the class and watched them closely as Walker appeared from his door which led to his main office.

"Hello, prisoners and guards!" He glanced down at the students and teachers "And guests…"

He smiled back at the crowd. "I hope you're excited to see the show!"

A roar of excitement rose from the crowd with the exception of the humans.

"I present to you a particularly special execution event!" Walker shouted. "The prisoner that shall receive his eternal judgement is none other than one of… THE HALFAS!"

An even louder roar came from the crowd as Danny was drug from Walker's office by two guards. They marched him up the steps of the gallows and Danny tripped once on the way. Once his feet touched the final platform, a ghostly green noose appeared from the wood arch. The guards walked him up and then put the noose around his neck.

Though many in the group of humans were wondering what the word halfa meant, they were more focused on what was happening in front of them. Lancer though, caught onto various calls from the prisoners saying something along the lines of, "Down with Phantom."

Phantom? What did the supposed hero of Amity Park had to do with any of them? What did Danny Fenton and Dann-

Lancer's mouth went dry. "Turn of the Screw…" he whispered.

Meanwhile, Walker was grinning like a kid in the candy store. "Any last words, boy?"

Danny swallowed thickly against the noose and gag. Some of the prisoners seemed slightly confused about the fact that Phantom wasn't being allowed to actually say his last words, but they were too excited to see the hero fall to truly care. While Walker was busy trying to mock Danny's inability to speak, Danny took the time to actually send messages to his friends and Sam. He was looking over each of the faces of his class and teachers, trying to burn their faces into his mind one last time. Finally his telepathy activated and he looked at each of his friends mutely as he 'spoke' with them.

_Tuck?_

_Yeah Danny?_ Tucker asked hoarsely.

_I love ya, man. Best friends, always._

_I love you too, dude. Always._

_Sam?_

_Yeah?_ Sam asked as tears started to form in her eyes.

_I love you, so much. You never let me give up and you made me a better person because of it._

_I love you too, Danny. More than anything. You and Tucker both taught me to care about people again… That's a precious gift._

_It was fun. _Danny spoke to both of them.

_Yeah._ Sam and Tucker spoke at the same time, both trying to swallow down tears. It didn't look like they would get out of this one.

_Thanks for not being afraid of me, Val…_

_Yeah, of course Danny. I__'__m sorry it took so long__…_ Valerie spoke and sniffed.

"Alright then…" Walker grunted wiping away an imaginary tear from laughing with his goons. He turned away from the humans.

"You'll see you fiend! Danny Phantom will save us! He'll come and stop you!" Mikey shouted.

Walker started to chuckle and then laugh loudly. "Danny Phantom… is a bit… tied up at the moment. He won't be saving anyone anytime soon."

The humans who didn't know the secret seemed to loose all hope at that moment. Walker shouted in glee and turned to the executioner ghost that was standing at the ready. "Pull the switch! The Halfa is no more!"

The humans gasped at the sound of the switch being pulled and the trapdoor underneath Danny opening. They heard their friend, classmate, and student let out one muffled gasp, which they thought would be his last.

_**-POW-**_

A gun shot echoed through the jail and glowing rope, around Danny's neck, snapped after being shot by a narrow beam of ectoplasm. Chaos erupted in the courtyard as Walker made his way towards the gallows to pull Danny from underneath the wooden platform which he'd fallen through.

A strange silence came over the other ghosts as if they'd heard something… then they scattered when a cry rang out.

"AAARROOOOOOOHH!"

Tucker glanced over and saw Wulf, with normal green eyes leap from one of the towers and run towards the gallows. He tackled Walker and started to tumble, claw and wrestle on the ground with the corrupt warden. Danny's gag had slipped off from his fall and he pulled himself to his feet. His eyes locked with the rest of the group and he charged at the guards watching them, or trying to watch them, since the other prisoners were freaking out all around.

One guard swung his baton at Danny's head, only for the half-ghost to duck and then preform and roundhouse kick. When the ghost was down, he was able to snatch the small knife that most guards kept on them; he sliced the ropes bidding him and yanked his gag off his neck. He ran over to the others and using the baton, he'd also gotten from the guard, he electrocuted the other guards nearby and gave himself an opening to slice the ropes binding his peer's wrists. Sam immediately hugged him.

"I need you to get everyone out. I'm going to transform and get Walker off our backs for a while…" He whispered in her ear.

"Only if Wulf stays with you."

Danny thought for a second and looked up at Tucker and Valerie who nodded at him, knowing innately what he expected of them and Sam. He looked back at Sam and kissed her.

"Go." He handed her the knife and tossed the baton to Valerie, before turning and running towards Wulf and Walker still wrestling in the courtyard.

"What the heck is Fenton doing!?" Dash yelled.

"Being a badass. Any more questions? No? Good. Let's haul our own butts out of here!" Tucker yelled and pointed towards the corridor they'd been led down. "Follow me!"

With that, a few students looked behind them once last time at the chaos before running after Tucker. Sam and Valerie took up the rear to stave off any guards that tried to follow them. What neither girl saw was Lancer staying behind watching from the darkness of the corridor. He could still see the others running away, so he wouldn't get separated too far from the them, but he just had to know. He had to know if he was right, if all the puzzle pieces were falling into the right places and he hadn't just manufactured some ridiculous theory.

In some sort of strange mix of confusion, horror, worry, but above all else, pride, the over-weight and out of shape teacher of Casper High watched as Danny Fenton leapt into the air in a classic superman or superhero pose and a bright ring of light swept over his body, turning the C average student, the troublemaking, detention-seeking, curfew missing, rebellious teen into the hero…

Danny Phantom.

* * *

**Well then, what'd you guys think of that? Lancer finally knows the secret. He's put the clues together. I really enjoyed putting the Turn of the Screw book title in there too since part of the mystery of that classic is whether or not most of the characters in the book are actually ghosts and not really there.**

**Anyways, tell me what you think about the chapter and pacing. **

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**Great: If Malus had to chose a ghost for 'manipulation' then he would prefer Dan? Why, is he more powerful than even Pariah Dark? Anyway. Looking forward to more!**

**NoSignal: Yep Dan is technically the most powerful ghost (raw power wise) in the Ghost Zone in my headcannon. More of this will be explained later. :)**

**Guest: What About A Spyro Story?**

**NoSignal: I do like Sypro, at least the newer trio of games that was made (New Beginning, Eternal Night, and Dawn of the Dragons [I think that's their names]). I don't know. I have a lot of stories in the making already, so I'll have to think about it.**

**YumiStar: Vlad is gonna get his tushy kicked nect chapter, isn't he?**

**NoSignal: Not this chapter but... well that's going to be a bit more complicated than that... :)**

* * *

**Thank you all so much for your kind and wonderful reviews and words! They mean a lot to me.**

**~NoSignal**


	18. Continuing Day Six: Ghost Zone

**Phew. Almost done with school stuff guys. I think I can do the next chapter by two weeks again. So that's May 18th I think. Anywho, I hope you enjoy!**

**Oh by the way, there are a group of easter eggs in this chapter. The three series off the top of my head refer to Harry Potter, Metroid series, and Elder Scrolls. Tell me what you see that's familiar if you can. ;) Maybe I'll think of some kind of reward or something if you can name all of them. Idk, it's fun either way!**

* * *

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.__"__ ~ Mahatma Gandhi, All Men are Brothers: Autobiographical Reflections._

zzz

**Amity Park. 6:55 AM.**

Jack couldn't remember the last time he felt so… troubled. Yeah, troubled seemed to be the best word to describe how he was feeling.

They'd been looking at all sorts of information, all legal of course, and couldn't find Vlad anywhere. He wasn't at his mansion, not even in Amity while in ghost form, if the ghost detection system was working at near optimal accuracy as he and Maddie hoped.

Nothing.

The large man furrowed his brows and glared down at the floor. It had been a few months since they'd learned that their son was half-ghost. Though life seemed to have continued normally since then, well, as normally as could be claimed by their family, there were still those things that popped up from time to time and reminded him about all the changes to _his_ reality. Of course one of the biggest of those things being his son's general safety, health and happiness, but in second place… Vlad.

He'd loved the man as his brother, let him into his home, voted for the guy. And what did the jerk do? Try and seduce his wife under his nose and torment his son. The very idea of Jack letting the man into his home with him never knowing the other man's ulterior motives… and his poor son, forced to act civil around him, peering over his shoulder, making sure the man didn't try and murder his own father while he slept. A whole strategic battle going on right behind his back.

And all those times he'd seen the strange spike of fear and even anger that had come to his son's face every time he'd mentioned that they were going to see Vlad... Jack clenched his teeth and fists in barely controlled frustration. He'd thought that Danny just didn't like or care about his college years or some friend he'd known then. He'd thought Danny's reactions were just those of a teenager towards his 'uncool' father. If only he'd known…

It was one thing in particular though that had truly taken the hot fudge cake for Jack… Flirting with his wife was one thing, since Jack knew his wife loved him way too much to ever be swayed by such things and the man couldn't blame other men for trying. Antagonizing and even mocking Danny about his idiot father was even another thing…

But the day he'd learned about Danny being a half-ghost or Halfa… His son had been in a dark basement, with no windows, shackles holding him to a machine, burns and life blood scattered and smeared about his tired body, and his voice hoarse from screaming.

The man had tortured his son and that had been the only time he'd actually _seen_ it. Who knew how many times Vlad had actually done something so… so…

"Unforgivable." Jack murmured. He briefly forgot that his newest daughter had enhanced hearing like her brother.

The young girl had been sitting on a stool while Maddie and Jazz poured over what info about Vlad's whereabouts they _had_ gathered, trying to deduce where he could be. She was swinging her legs, waiting for Jace and Ash to arrive. The three were planning to search the city and patrol with Jazz soon, hoping to run across Vlad's human form; the Fentons were still having trouble creating a detecter for human-form hybrids. Hopefully if any of the more neutral and civil ghosts appeared, those specters might have an idea of where Vlad was.

So far, they were holding onto hope that Danny and everyone else would arrive back in Amity in a day and a half or so… if not, then Team Phantom had a pretty good idea who was responsible.

"What was that dad?" Dani asked softly, not catching Maddie or Jazz's attention.

Jack smiled slightly at his daughter and patted the couch cushion next to him. Dani floated over and plopped down. Jack wrapped an arm about Dani's shoulders and sighed.

"I was just thinking about Vladdi-" Jack caught himself with a bitter scowl. "Vlad. I was thinking about Vlad."

Dani dropped her gaze from her father's face. "Oh."

For a couple of minutes they sat next to each other silently. Then Dani spoke again, "Danny told me that… Vlad used to be friends with you… like Tucker and Valerie are to Danny or Ash and Jace are to me." She looked up at his face again with a sad look in her blue orbs. "Is that true?"

Jack studied his daughter's face and nodded. "We were best friends… at least… I thought we were."

Dani sighed and then asked another question. "Dad?"

"Yes, Ellie?"

"Why do some people do good things like Danny, you and mom and stuff and then some people do bad things like Vlad?"

Jack had to stop himself from laughing out loud. It wasn't that he thought Dani's question was stupid or naive. He of course tended to be naive and foolish himself, by his own admission. It was just the simple fact that a young girl like Dani asking the single question in the universe that had never made sense to him as well, was funny. He smiled sadly at Dani's face.

"I don't know, Ellie. I don't think anyone really does for sure. There are many theories, but… some things just don't have an easy answer. Even if they should."

Dani seemed to soak up what her dad had said and nodded. "Yeah I guess I can understand. I mean sometimes I get mad, like most people and I know that getting mad can make people do things they normally wouldn't do… and I know the difference between anger and bitterness since Jazz explained it in this really complicated way that I somehow understood." Dani wrinkled her nose at the memory. "Bitterness is more permanent. It's like bad food or poison. Getting angry once in temporary, but getting angry about something over and over starts to change a person… apparently."

Jack blinked in shock at his daughter's assessment. Leave it to a clone with a almost completely innocent view of the world to sum something like that up so well. A thought came to him and it caused him pause. He was worried Dani was going to ask him what he was thinking about, until the door rang.

"I'll get it! It's probably Jace and Ash!" Dani shouted and bounced off the couch before doing a flip over the back and running to the door.

Jack heard the two boys come in. Ash being excited and wanting to know what the whole situation was and Jace sighing in exasperation at his friend's actions. However, Jack was too busy thinking about something, actually, a couple somethings.

He'd recalled a simple fact. Vlad was the reason that Danielle was here, alive, and in some backwards way, living a happy life and giving joy to the people who loved her. He even recalled Danny saying that Danielle had been the only thing that he'd believed Vlad to have done right, when they'd been informed that they had another daughter, a cloned daughter, but a daughter nonetheless. All this boiled down to one last thought before he heard Maddie call him over and offer him some fudge, which brought a smile to his face against his will.

Dani had defined in her own way what she'd learned was the difference between anger and bitterness, Danny had talked about obsessions and what they can do to a half-ghost and full ghost, and even Jazz, according to Maddie, had come up with a physiological theory about how anger, obsession, and emotion affect a ghost's appearance and actions.

Bitterness was a poison and thinking back on some of his earliest memories of Vlad in college, even before Maddie had transferred there… Jack Fenton couldn't help but wonder…

Was what Vlad had done, unforgivable, or had his college buddy been poisoned?

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 5:30 AM. Same Day.**

Running away from his student, went against every oath he could remember taking and even his very own moral compass; he almost felt as though he was failing in some horrendous way… or maybe it was that it felt like he'd already failed.

Lancer cursed himself in his own head over and over as he jogged as fast as he could behind the large group of students and Mrs. Tetslaff. Valerie had finally noticed him and had fallen behind him to make sure he wouldn't be snagged by a random ghost… or perhaps she thought it made sure Lancer didn't see anything.

_Too late for that_, the teacher thought bitterly. He'd seen it with his own eyes. He'd seen the shy, kind, but still troublesome, Danny Fenton, whom had kept the older man up many nights with worry about what the boy was doing to his future, turn into Danny Phantom. The young man was somehow given the powers of a ghost and his dual existence, or however that worked was what the ghosts had meant when they called him a Halfa. Regardless…

How much of a fool he felt. How much shame and horror lingered in his heart and mind. In the past, Lancer had seemed to get the idea somewhere along the way that whatever was the mysterious reason that Daniel had to go to the bathroom and miss class was something more complicated than simple laziness or irresponsibility, so the teacher had pretty much gone easy on the boy for quite some time. It had been a stretch for Lancer to have not ultimately expelled the boy, considering the fact that he had no proof of what Daniel had actually been doing all the times he'd missed class. While he was sure, that most would commend him for being so sensitive to his students and knowing when to not break them, like he truly could've and had had the authority to with Danny, and assure him that he'd done a good job… he couldn't help but think it wasn't enough and that it would never be enough.

The test grades, the absences, the sleeping in class and, by the fathers of Classical Literature, the wounds! He felt sick to his stomach and he wasn't sure if it was because he was running on an hungry stomach or because he felt guilt crushing him.

ooo

_He saw a light in Danny's eyes, like the beginning of some truth coming to the surface as if Danny wanted to say something, before it dimmed and Danny shook his head. "They were both just flukes, Mr. Lancer. There's nothing special about Danny Fenton."_

ooo

Of course Daniel had been using his double alias as a way to state a lie within a truth. Lancer believed, in retrospect, that he'd been close to having a confession from Danny himself that day. All this time the young man he had known to have had the potential to do anything after seeing his records from middle school, had sacrificed everything for everyone but himself. His dreams of a normal future, his grades, his sleep, his health, his happiness, his time, everything…

And what had Amity Park done for the longest time? Shunned him. Shot at him. Ostracized him. In return? He'd kept protecting them.

Within these moments, Mr. Lancer made a decision. He'd somehow figure out who knew the boy's secret and if at all possible he'd help keep it, if discreetly so. Not only that, he'd find the times to tutor Daniel which were convenient for the boy. Finally he wouldn't even bother to figure out if Daniel was the TheEidolon or not. Was that so much to ask from a teacher who knew he owed his life to his student? No. If fate allowed it… or demanded it… he'd take the secret to his grave.

Coming up with a plan like this gave Lancer a small bit of peace in his heart. Another thing that helped satisfy him was that his philosophy had been proven correct. There was something special about every person… and definitely there was something extraordinary about a certain Danny Fenton. Hint, it had nothing to do with the fact that he was half ghost.

Lancer's thoughts were stopped abruptly by the echo of thunder that raced down the corridors and caused several surprised people in the group to shout or yell out in fear and surprise.

zzz

**Walker's Prison. The Courtyard. 5:30 AM. Meanwhile…**

Walker was one of those enemies that Danny had never truly fought often with. He'd tricked Walker to escape prison when they'd first met, Walker hadn't actually wanted to destroy him the second time since he had wanted Danny to flee to the Ghost Zone from the ridicule the 'kidnapping the mayor' fiasco caused, and the third time in the woods, again with his class, Wulf had swooped in to help. At present? It was strictly Danny fighting with Walker since Wulf was busy chasing off prisoners and taking out massive amounts of guards.

Danny immediately had to split into three separate duplicates in order to watch his own back and fight at the same time. Walker had started teleporting all over the place and firing beams of pink ectoplasm at Danny. At one point, Danny flared out a pulse of ice energy that ended up freezing a few guards on the outer edges of the courtyard, but had unfortunately missed Walker entirely thanks to yet another teleportation on Walker's part.

Walker's face wasn't filled with sick pleasure like it normally was when he fought with Danny, instead it was twisted into a snarl. Danny almost got struck with a blast of pink energy when Walker had surprised him and started to talk in Latin.

"Et cessare faciam tibi. Hic tibi reducam." (I will end you. I will end you right here.)

Danny growled realizing just how serious Walker was; the hate coming from Walker was almost primal. Danny let out a breath as he absorbed his other two copies, since he was getting weaker. Normally he could've kept four up for quite some time and recently even five if he tried hard, but after being tortured and not fed, Danny was weak and he knew he was fading fast. He had to find a way to get Walker off their tails for a while though. At least until Wulf could maybe take the group out of the Ghost Zone. First, he had to dodge another pink blast.

"Quod futurum est, Walker!" (That's not going to happen, Walker!)

Danny strafed to his right to avoid the attack only to see a second one come flying towards him. Too weak to take the brunt of the attack's momentum through a shield, Danny focused hard and swung his arm. A ripple of invisible telekinetic energy echoed out and completely obliterated the attack. Danny then called on more power from his cells and increased his speed, dramatically.

Walker roared in pain and fury as Danny started to flash from place to place around the warden and follow the ghost whenever he tried to teleport away from with punches and kicks.

"Non habent ipsorum morte. Dare volui furcas Iamne mortem tardus!" (You will not have a painless death. I tried to give you the gallows, but now you're death will be slow!)

Walker screamed as he missed Danny again. The teen hero appeared several yards away from Walker, panting. He was fading faster and getting closer to his limit. Not that that stopped him from bantering.

"Habes primum consequare Walker." (You have to catch me first, Walker.)

Danny then took another stabilizing breath and disappeared in a flash of speed once more. Walker growled under his breath as he dodged a ray of ice energy that seemed to appear from nowhere.

"Veniam autem cito ad." (Oh I plan to very soon.)

The warden then turned to green mist again to avoid a slash of ice claws that had formed over Danny's hands. The warden recalled that he'd been informed recently that the Ghost boy had picked up some new tricks… however… the boy being weakened already would be his downfall.

Walker cried out in anger once more and whipped out his restraining cane. With a spin, he positioned it in his hands and then thrust it into the ground. A wave of pink energy scattered across the floor in a field around Walker and just as the warden had hoped, the fast Phantom's ankles were immediately ensnared by the restraining energies.

Due to the speed Danny had been moving at, he tripped and crashed into the ground before sliding a bit. All it had taken was Danny to put his foot down once to make a turn towards Walker to attack again and he'd been snared. Another flash of light and his arms were bound to his sides tightly. He wheezed when Walker stepped on his back.

"Nunc iterum, **moriemini**." (Now, you shall die **again**.)

Walker leaned down to whisper this message, causing Danny's eyes to widen in slight fear. Danny knew perfectly well what Walker meant by those words and why he was whispering them. He was going to kill him via electrocution. He was going to make Danny truly relive his half-death.

Before he could even reply, Walker had yanked out a baton from his belt and had jabbed the now electrified object in between Danny's shoulder-blades.

Danny's body was engulfed in electricity and Danny let out a soul-shattering scream of agony as he spasmed on the ground, under Walker.

Danny's sight was going fuzzy, his sense of smell started to fade, his nerves were in overdrive and all he could hear was Walker laughing like a maniac.

Danny could feel his ice core start to melt and he panicked, switching subconsciously to his hot core. It was this action that saved his half-life.

ooo

"_So wait… if I have my cold core active and then mix it with my ectoplasm rather than using my ice directly… it makes a stronger construct?" Danny asked, cocking his head in thought._

"_Exactly, Great One! You see a construct made of ice is weak and will break if you strike something that is too hard. Even purely ectoplasmic constructs have a weakness that can be exploited."_

"_Okay… so what about these ecto-ice constructs, Frostbite?"_

"_They are the most durable kind and are used by the masters of Cyrokinesis. There are very few things that can break them."_

"_Gotcha, thanks for the lesson, Frostbite!"_

"_Of course! Anything to help the Great One!"_

ooo

"_It would be best if you didn't try to superheat your Pryokinesis in your attempts to manifest lightning. You'll only burn yourself repeatedly, that way." Hakan finished and looked over at his student to see Danny sucking on various parts of his burnt hand. The boy blinked and Hakan sighed._

"_Ectoplasmic made lightning is best formed from the mixture of one's ectoplasm and their hot core." Hakan continued and looked up to watch as Danny tried the new method. Sparks exploded around Danny, nearly blinding the young man. He rubbed his eyes. Hakan snorted but couldn't remove the amused smile from his face._

"_Such things takes much practice and much concentration. You'll simply have to keep trying. Once you figure out the right amount of ectoplasm and heat to mix then you'll have it. Lightning is much more complicated than trying to make ice constructs like Frostbite has been tutoring you in. There is much more freedom in how much ectoplasm you wish to use with the constructs, it simply alters how sturdy the constructs are. Lightning is, on the other hand, very precise."_

"_Now he tells me."_

_Hakan simply smiled. "You aren't giving up, are you?"_

_Danny sputtered indigently. "Apparently Clockwork didn't tell you as much about me as I thought. I'm not exactly the guy to give up on anything… even when it's detrimental to my health." Danny mumbled the last part._

"_Well then, try again. You won't be leaving my lair until you've, at the very least, temporarily blinded yourself."_

"_Ha ha… and I thought you weren't a ghost with a sense of humor, Hakan."_

_This made Hakan laugh heartily._

ooo

Danny could feel the electricity jumping about his hot core, leaping like solar flares as more and more watts were pumped through his body. Then he felt the electricity stop burning and frying him. His core was pulsing slowly like his human heartbeat and he waited for a split second, timing it to where he released the energy just as the pulse of his core echoed out.

Electricity leapt like a lithe creature from his body in arcs, also reversing its course up Walker's baton and electrocuting the warden. He cried out, stuck in Danny's web of light and plasma before he was able to throw himself away.

Now with Walker away from him and the bindings that once held him, nothing more than vapor now, Danny stood up. Electricity sizzled around his body, causing the smell of ozone to form in the air.

The courtyard got very silent, especially since Wulf had practically taken down all but a small group of guards.

"Tu fecisti istud, quod nunc, Walker. Et factum est judicium, quod electricum executi fantasma electricitate. Ut Walker, contra praecepta." (You've done it now, Walker. You electrocuted a ghost that was killed by electrocution. That, Walker, is against the rules.)

Danny growled his declaration out loud enough for everyone to hear, before he unleashed another wave of lightning which ripped through the air and latched onto Walker, creating a grande clap of thunder in the process.

"Ego autem non. Non exieris. Quotiens ego sum ut omnes qui iter semper!" (I will not bow. I will not surrender. How many times do I have to show everyone that I will always find a way!)

Danny shouted loudly as the attack struck. The warden groaned before falling over, unconscious. Danny then fell to his knees and transformed back into Fenton.

After taking several deep breaths he turned to see Wulf sitting there with his back facing Danny. The Halfa sighed. "Dankon, amiko." (Thanks, friend.) He whispered in Esperanto to his ally.

"Ĉiam por amikon." (Always for friend.) Wulf replied in a rumble before bounding away with Danny mounted on his back. They disappeared into the corridor that would lead them out and to freedom.

Walker groaned in pain from where he laid. "Modicum Bastardus…"

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 6:01 AM.**

"What the heck do we do now?" Dash asked worriedly from the group's hiding place. Everyone had hidden behind part of a large island like structure connected to one of the rocky paths in the Zone. Walker's Prison was in the distance.

"We wait for Danny," Tucker answered calmly.

"But… He… I mean he can't be still…" Alroy stuttered.

"He can't be what!?" Sam suddenly snapped and made her glare pierce the jock's gaze, daring him to continue.

"You don't think Fenton's… gone?" Kwan gulped.

"Fenton's got to be toast," Dash grimaced.

"He went down a fighter. A hero!" Mrs. Tetslaff declared with a slight frown.

Lancer blinked and shook his head at the irony in Tetslaff's words, though anyone could believe he was merely grieving his student's death.

Sam merely scoffed, drawing everyone's attention again. "I shouldn't have expected anything less. It's not like most of you really know Danny." Her gaze flicked back to the dusty road. "You don't know him like we do. Danny won't give up."

"Danny's too hardheaded to let something like this stop him," Valerie agreed.

"He kinda bounces back from anything. That's one thing he has in common with his dad. You just keep knocking them down and they'll just keep getting back up," Tucker added with a nod of his head. He gasped when his eyes caught something.

Everyone looked up and saw Wulf running towards them. Danny was leaning heavily on the beast's back with his eyes closed.

Surprising everyone but the nerds there, Tucker started spouting things in Esperanto.

"Wulf! Kiamaniere Danny? Ĉu li bonfartas?" (Wulf! How's Danny? Is he okay?)

The large beast surprised everyone by actually replying.

"Ĝi estas bone, amikino. Li dormas." (He is fine, friend. He sleeps.)

Wulf rumbled softly and let his back muscles ripple, gently vibrating against Danny's face. The boy opened his eyes blearily and blinked once and then twice before looking down at Sam.

"Salve Sam." (Hello, Sam.)

Sam smiled and patted Danny softly on the cheek. "Danny, I haven't learned Latin yet. English, please."

Danny moaned slightly and nodded. "Sorry, Walker was speaking Latin when we were fighting."

"Oh yeah? He was serious then?" Tucker questioned.

Danny, Sam, and especially Valerie turned and gave their friend and boyfriend a slight glare.

"Stupid question huh?" Tucker asked.

"I don't know, do you think the torture or the almost successful execution tipped you off to that?" Sam asked sardonically.

"Okay okay… I was there you know."

Danny merely smiled and then tiredly slid himself off the large furry beast. He looked into Wulf's eyes. "Ĉu vi povas preni nin el la Fantoma Zono?" (Can you take us out of the Ghost Zone?)

Wulf blinked and then drooped his ears. Sadly, he brought up one paw to show Danny something he hadn't noticed while they'd been fighting together. Wulf's claws were cut down to nubs.

Danny barely kept his eyes from flashing green against his will and he growled. "He cut your claws!?" Dany yelled out in fury. "How dare he!?"

"Mi pensas post mi prenis vin ĉi tie. Li ne volas ke mi eskapi post mi servis tiucele." (I think after I took you here. He no want me to escape after I served purpose.)

Wulf whined before Danny wrapped his arms around the ghost's furry neck. Tucker walked over and laid a placating hand on Wulf's shoulder.

"Pardonu , amiko." (Sorry, friend.) Tucker murmured.

"Ili kreskos reen eventuale kaj tiam via potenco revenos." (They will grow back eventually and then your power will return.) Sam spoke up.

Valerie nodded, knowing they were saying comforting things to the ghost.

"Iru trovi lokon por kaŝi de Walker… Mi vetas Ekstrema Frozen estus agrabla loko. Diru vian la Granda Unu, amiko." (Go find a place to hide from Walker… I bet the Far Frozen would be a nice place. Tell them you're the Great One's friend.) Danny said and patted Wulf on the head.

"Jes. Neniu bezono helpo al protekti de Walker?" (Yes. No need help to defend from Walker?) Wulf asked and nudged one of Danny's wounds softly.

"No. Ni estos bona." (No. We will be alright.) Danny replied and gave the ghost a final pat on the head. In return, Wulf licked Danny's face. He then looked at the others. "Adiaŭ amikoj. Ni estas liberaj!" (Goodbye friends. We are free!) He then turned and bounded away.

"What language was that?" Star asked.

"Esperanto," Mikey answered. "It was supposed to have been used as a international language, but died out."

"So wait, you all can speak Esperanto and Latin?" Stan asked.

"Me and Tucker can speak Esperanto. Danny's the one that can speak both," Sam answered calmly.

"I haven't learned yet, but I plan to," Valerie added.

Danny shrugged. "Some ghosts don't speak English, so Esperanto and especially Latin are the only ways to talk to practically any ghost. They're dead languages."

Norman sighed. "I didn't think that's what that phrase meant…"

Danny shrugged again only this time he caused a slight spasm in a muscle which jostled one of his lacerations near his back. He visibly grimaced.

"Dude, we need to get to Pandora's and then check on you," Tucker spoke.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea," Danny agreed. "I think it'll take a few hours to walk to Pandora's from here and then we have to go through the Maze to get to the Acropolis."

"Acropolis?" Lancer asked.

"Pandora, you know, from Greek legend? She lives and rules over an Acropolis," Danny answered. When the Box ghost had taken Pandora's box, Danny had seen merely one of the guard houses in Pandora's domain. The empress had been looking for clues practically anywhere then. Since then, Danny had visited again and actually seen Pandora's true home. It was impressive.

"How many things about ghosts do you know?" Tyson asked in slight shock.

Danny glanced at Sam, Tucker, and Valerie and they chuckled. "Alot." They all echoed at the same time.

"Ya think you know a guy," Brandon laughed.

Danny only smiled.

"What were you asking about Wulf's claws for? And who's the Great One?" Mikey asked.

Tucker flinched, remembering suddenly that most of the nerds knew Esperanto. Duh.

"Wulf can slice a hole between the Ghost Zone and the Human Realm and Phantom is the answer to your second question. There are some groups in the Zone that hate him… then there are others that see him as well…" Danny started before Sam interrupted.

"A hero. A protector and savior," Sam replied smirking at the slight irritation on Danny's face.

"So you guys **do** know Phantom," Dash pressed.

"I **do** know that we need to get moving. Walker will snap out of it eventually and start looking for us," Danny replied.

"What did you do to him?" Dinah asked, eyes wide with a strange knew respect for the former loser.

Danny blinked. "I hunted him. Basically I just stunned him. I don't destroy anything I fight, save the spare Ectopus or two. But they usually turn back into ectoplasm eventually anyways and form new creatures."

"How'd you stun a ghost?" Kwan asked.

"Trade secret. Who's hungry, cause we gotta move to get it." Danny spoke briskly and started walking.

Sam, Tucker and Valerie came up beside him as everyone followed behind, their grumbling stomachs answering his question.

At that moment, Danny linked up to his friends.

_So what did happen?_ Valerie asked.

_I used some of the telekinetic power I've been training with to move really fast. It was very helpful in battle._ Danny answered.

_And….?_ Tucker pressed.

_He tried to make me relive my half-death for starters. _Danny continued.

_Damn him! _Sam hissed mentally.

_So I zapped him right back_. There was a silence over the connection.

_Wait so you mean…? _Tucker asked.

_You learned…?_ Sam continued.

_Lightning control, check._ Danny replied through the link, pride ringing through the four's emotional connection.

_That's amazing, Danny. Good job._ Sam praised which got a smile from her boyfriend.

_I still don't see why you don't just use your Ghostly Wail to demolish that prison._ Valerie almost growled.

_I…_ Danny paused. _Doing that kind of thing would give the Observants a reason to hate me more than they do… I have to leave it be. Even telling everyone that Walker broke his own rules won't do much. His men will probably be threatened to not spill the beans and the Observants won't rat him out since at least two thirds of them are corrupt and hate my guts for being a Halfa. It's better not to get involved._

_Shit. That almost makes me hate ghosts again._ Valerie grumbled.

_You like Wulf now though, right? I mean you can't not love that guy._ Tucker grinned.

_Hmph. _Valerie pouted.

_You totally do! I know it! _Tucker declared teasingly.

_Maybe a little. _Valerie replied begrudgingly.

_That's great, Val. I bet you'll like Pandora a lot._ Danny spoke up.

They would've continued their talk if the others hadn't interrupted them.

"So uh, Fen-Danny… Where will we get food?" Dash asked with a slightly begrudgingly humbled look on his face. The young man was trying, even if he was weary of it.

Danny nodded and then answered. "Well if you can't wait until Pandora's we could keep a look out for food along the way. The Ghost Zone has few things that can be eaten safely, but you need to ask me, Sam, or Tucker, first."

"Yeah or **it** might get a meal instead of you," Sam said and gave the others and mischievous grin. Danny nudged her in the ribs softly.

"Aw quit scaring them, Sam."

"But it's fun."

zzz

An hour or so passed and everyone was starting to get tired. Even Danny was wheezing a bit because of the energy he'd used and his wounds were still healing. At present, his wounds were halfway closed up and merely weeping. Sam however, was getting nervous about the color of the liquid coming out from Danny's wounds and was worried he was getting an infection.

Tucker stated silently that most infections can't deal with ectoplasm well, though Sam reminded Tucker that Danny had gotten the common cold before. Sam stated it was probably only a matter of new illnesses evolving to deal with ectoplasm, like the common cold evolved too fast for there to be a cure made.

It was moments later that someone shouted happily.

"Hey look, are those Watermelons!?" Melanie called out.

Danny blinked and looked up to see Tyson and Freddie wander closer to the patch of fruit. He blanched when he noticed the color of the grass around the melons.

"Guys, stop!" Danny yelped out and the two boys halted.

"What's the problem, yo?" T.J. ask honestly.

Danny sweatdropped. "Those are vampire melons. They eat flesh."

Tyson and Freddie cried out in a less than manly manner when one of the said melons split in half to show rows upon rows of sharp teeth. It growled and lunged at the two and missed them barely, due to being held back by its vine planted in the ground.

Tyson and Freddie scrambled backwards towards the group as the rest of the melons started snapping their jaws at the humans.

"Melons found near Blood grass are often Vampire Melons," Sam stated.

"Blood grass?" Brad asked and looked at the reddish grass growing near and around the patch.

"It can be used to make invisibility serum. It's super temporary though, so not much use comes from it," Danny added. He turned and started leading everyone away from the patch and continued down the road. "You wanna tell them some basic things to look out for, Sam?"

Sam nodded. "Better than letting them kill themselves." Sam took a deep breath. "Okay so you saw the melons and the grass… There's also Bloodflowers, which spit acid, Lotus tree fruit which are supremely addictive in a bad way, even if it doesn't hurt you to eat them, Man-eating trees, and Alihotsy which can induce hysteria if you get too close and especially if you eat it."

"Geez is there anything you can eat?" John asked.

"It is the _Ghost Zone_ for a reason," Sam replied and rose a brow.

"I guess that makes since… now that you mention it," Megan mumbled.

"There are Dirigible Plums, but don't eat too many or you'll float away. Trama root likes to grow near those trees," Sam spoke.

"Oh my gosh, look!" Star suddenly gasped and pointed.

Everyone followed her gaze to see a field of Blood grass. Goldhorn antelopes and flaming Unicorns were busy grazing there.

"A Unicorn? Those exsist?" Alroy asked and scratched his head.

"Lots of mythical creatures exist in the Ghost Zone," Tucker answered.

They continued walking somewhat peacefully after that, though everyone was still hungry.

"Will this Pandora lady even have food?" Lesley whined. "She is a ghost, right?"

Danny nodded. "Ghosts still eat food sometimes just for fun. They don't need it, since they don't have a stomach or need sustenance, but it's a pleasure they still enjoy."

Sam nodded and looked up at Danny to notice a fine sheen of sweat coating his skin. "Danny are you feeling feverish?"

Danny glanced at her and shook his head. "I'm fine." He smirked. "I was thinking that my parents should release the Hotdogs into the Ghost Zone. They might like the environment, seeing as there are semi-sentient melons here too."

Sam snorted.

"Hey is that it?"

Everyone looked forward and could see a large Acropolis surrounded by large amounts of foliage and walls.

"Yep. We just have to get through the Maze of Minotaurs-" Danny started.

"Wait WHAT!?" Dash yelped.

Danny was going to open his mouth and soothe the others when a breath of cold mist fled his parted lips.

zzz

**Amity Park. 8:46 AM.**

"So I know this Plasmius guy is bad news, but how bad? Like uber-bad? Or just annoying bad?" Ash asked over the com link.

Dani, Ash, Jace, and Jazz had gone out to patrol, leaving the elder Fentons to look at leads for Vlad _Masters_. They didn't want Ash and Jace knowing quite yet that Plasmius and Masters was one and the same. They'd been calling Vlad the Wisconsin Ghost or simply Plasmius to hide this fact.

"He's very cunning and can be very cruel and manipulative," Jazz answered easily enough. "We're worried that he's gone after Danny and his classmates."

"Why?" Jace questioned.

"Well he doesn't like Danny much and he'd know that Danny wouldn't want to transform in front of his class. He disappeared from our radar about the same time Danny left for his trip," Jazz replied.

"I see. He really is cunning," Jace responded.

"Well then, we just need to find him then," Ash spoke up. "I haven't gotten any hits on my detection equipment."

Suddenly all four people met at a single place and sighed in exasperation.

Dani frowned in annoyance and pouted in midair. Ash put his arms behind his neck.

"Now what? The Youngblood kid with that large T-rex skeleton, playing archeologist in the park didn't know anything and neither did that Biker dude," The boy asked.

"I guess one more round and then we call it for now. He simply might not be in Amity right now and no one might have a clue what he's up to," Jazz answered.

Jace was very quiet and was thinking over something. He glanced up. "Why are we searching Amity anyways? Wouldn't he either be in Arkansas if he is planning on attacking Danny or just in the Ghost Zone not up to anything suspicious?"

Jazz and Dani's faces fell and they gave each other an almost invisible glance. Ash's eyebrows arched up and he looked at Jace.

"Is there something you aren't telling us? We can't help fully if you aren't being honest," Jace spoke.

Ash frowned deeply when he saw Dani start staring at the ground in obvious distress.

"Plasmius' full name is Vlad Plasmius," Jazz explained carefully and looked into Jace's eyes. She could see the gears turning in a slow and calculated way. Jace then glared at the ground.

"Our mayor's an evil half-ghost, huh?" Jace asked, but pretty much knew he was right.

"Whoa, wait what?" Ash rambled out.

"Danny Phantom and Fenton? Danielle Phantom and Fenton? So it only makes since, Vlad Plasmius and Vlad Masters," Jace explained to Ash.

Ash's eyes grew wide and he looked at Dani. "Really?"

Dani only nodded.

"I'll explain more to both of you once we get back to FentonWorks. My parents will probably be able to tell you more too," Jazz spoke. She then smiled half-heartedly. "Let's head back."

The other three nodded and turned their scooters or changed directions in the air to start heading back to FentonWorks. Hopefully… The elder Fentons had some news.

zzz

**Pandora's Acropolis. 8:53 AM.**

"Daniel?"

Everyone glanced over at the gate and several people screamed at the sight of a tall and powerful looking warrior woman.

Danny smiled. "Hey Pandora…"

"Wait, she's your friend!?" Mikey yelped.

Danny didn't answer and instead walked forward. "It's good to see you."

Pandora smiled brightly before she paused and noticed the blood and fluid staining Danny's clothes.

"You're wounded." The woman's face turned venomous. "Who did this? I demand to know! Was it these other humans!?" Pandora growled making everyone else pale and back up in fear.

"No Pandora. It's nothing. I'll be fine. We need a place to stay for a day though and something to eat."

Pandora's face became a bit more docile. "Who did this to you, Daniel?"

Danny sighed. "It was Walker."

The woman's face turned furious again. "I'll march on that fortress he calls a prison. Let me gather my men and the Minotaurs!"

Danny shook his head. "That's not necessary, please Pandora. Everyone got out alive and mostly well. That's what matters, plus the Observants will expect retaliation. We could get Phantom in trouble." He finished with a meaningful glance at the Empress and the ghost sighed.

"Very well. Come this way, Daniel and friends." Her bright smile returned again. "So long as your acquaintances don't go near my box, then we'll house you as long as needed." She kept walking along with the students and teachers following quietly behind. She asked a question. "Daniel… I was wondering…"

"Yes, Empress?" Danny replied.

Pandora arched an eyebrow at his formality but smiled and shook her head nonetheless. "Did the Phantom cousins ever get the bounty for turning in Undergrowth? I heard Walker and the Observants had collectively put his bounty to three million human dollars."

Danny didn't get to answer before Brandon spoke out in confusion. "Wait, why would ghosts want money?"

Pandora smiled kindly. "I assume Daniel has explained that we ghosts do enjoy some humanly pleasures even if they do us no true benefit, like eat food?"

Everyone gave a collective, if not hesitant, nod.

"Well did you think we just went and stole large quantities of food?" Pandora smiled an even larger smile. "We have special ghosts that go into the real world and purchase things like food, commodities and medicine in large quantities and they sell them. One such ghost is the Dairy King. He specializes in all kinds of cheeses."

Danny blinked in surprise at that one, though that sort of made the ghost's obsession a bit more relevant. It ultimately made the Halfa smile.

Danny shook his head and answered Pandora's previous question. "No. They just told Phantom to stay out of trouble when he returned Undergrowth."

"Hmph the nerve of those old fools." Pandora grumbled.

"Why would those Observant guys or whoever not pay Phantom?" Brad asked.

"Yeah, not cool." TJ huffed.

Pandora frowned and glanced at Team Phantom before speaking. "They don't view Phantom as a true ghost and until recently the humans didn't like Phantom much either, which is why he hid his cousin for so long. It truly is a shame what bullies those Observants are."

Dash blinked in confusion as something formed in his head. "You mean… Phantom wasn't liked by anyone?"

Pandora shook her head sadly as the group walked carefully through the maze and Pandora waved off any Minotaurs that were on guard. "He is a good boy. He has a bright and lovely core, but those Observants don't care how much he and his cousin work to keep balance."

"Why do these, leaders, I guess, of yours not see the Phantoms as true ghosts?" Norman asked suddenly, making Danny and Tucker's backs go rigid. Valerie and Sam did a bit better job at hiding their surprise.

Pandora stuttered slightly. "Well you see… it's kinda…"

"It's because of their skin tone."

Everyone glanced over at Danny to see him looking into the green atmosphere in the distance. "They look human and they both like humans… that's why."

Mikey blinked and then looked up at Pandora. "But then why…"

Pandora nodded. "Many ghosts don't mind humans, like myself. I like good humans and can be impatient with unkind humans, however, I do not interfere in the matters of humans simply because my obsession does not require it. The Phantoms wish to protect humans directly. The Observants think humans are the cause of much strife between the Realms and within the Zone. This of course is supremely biased on their part. Most of us just want to be left alone really. We're all trying to reach the beyond and fulfill our obsessions in peace… well most of us."

Eventually they found themselves within a large room which housed a large dining table. A few servants appeared by the table and bowed to the guests.

"We will eat here and then you Daniel, will be looked at by our surgeon," Pandora expressed and looked at Danny sternly.

"Uh right, you got it."

Somewhat quietly the group took their seats with Pandora and settled down to wait for an early lunch. It seemed everyone was still in some state of shock seeing as they had been facing death and despair merely a few hours ago.

zzz

**Norman, Brandon, Mikey, and Lester's room. 1:23 PM.**

"Something's not right."

At this simple sentence, three other nerds paused.

"What do ya mean, Norman?" Brandon asked and sat on one of the beds that had been provided. After the early lunch they'd enjoyed, Danny had been spirited away by two soldiers to see to his wounds. Brandon was worried about Danny; he hadn't eaten much during the meal and had started to look a bit weary. He wasn't sure if Danny had eaten at all since they'd been kidnapped and his wounds hadn't worsened, but hadn't gotten better. The others had been lead away to other rooms to stay, minus Tucker, Valerie, and Sam. While the others were limited to the library, the dining hall and their rooms, the four others seemed to have free reign.

"I mean we're missing something here," Norman grumbled. "First thing's first… I don't think ghosts care about skin color… I don't know it didn't seem right. I could see them not liking the Phantoms for liking humans… and then there's-"

"Whoa now. What are you rambling on about?" Mikey asked.

Norman took a calming breath. "Okay. I'm just saying that I don't think Danny and Pandora were being completely honest with us. When I asked why the Observants didn't see Phantom as a true ghost, Danny and Tucker tensed up. Also, why would Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Valerie, who are confirmed ghost hunters, have ghost friends? Why are they so close to Pandora that they can go wherever they like in her domain? There is just not enough answers here."

Brandon nodded reluctantly and Lester nodded in full agreement. Mikey was silent before he looked up at his friends.

"Also… does anyone here have any idea what a Halfa is?"

zzz

**Jocks' room. 1:23 PM.**

"This place is pretty awesome," Kwan murmured as he walked around the room, looking at various paintings and pieces of decor.

"Beats a jail cell that's for sure," Tyson scoffed as he laid back on the bed he'd claimed.

"This Ghost Zone place is weird. I knew Fenton's folks were creepy," Alroy grumbled from a chair he'd found.

"Yeah…" Dash replied distractedly.

Alroy and Tyson shared a glanced before shrugging. Kwan looked over at Dash in slight confusion and worry. The lead jock was staring at the ground near his feet as he sat on the edge of one of the beds.

Dash noticed at some point that the other three were ignoring him and having their own conversation. They could tell he needed space even if they didn't know what for. They really were good friends… really.

Dash refrained from letting out a sigh. _Phantom had been bullied by ghosts and humans before he became famous rather than… what was that word Lancer's used… infamous? Yeah. _The very idea that his hero had been picked on made him angry, but it also made him wonder. Why didn't Phantom just pummel anyone that had talked bad about him? Why hadn't he used his amazing power against those that didn't believe?

Dash clenched his fists. He just didn't understand it! He thought about it and thought about it. _Why…?_ It was then that a novel thought wandered into Dash's mind… Phantom didn't like people being afraid of him. He liked people being friendly. Phantom didn't want to hurt people. He wanted to save them… Dash had made people afraid of him and had hurt them… For the first time in a long while, Dash was seeing the fruits of his labor for what they really were. You pummel people and they fear. You hurt them and they hate. Phantom hadn't wanted any of that so he hadn't pummeled or hurt anyone even when he could've and eventually… he was mostly beloved now.

Phantom's little quips about playing nice, staying in school, the responsibility behind power as well as Lancer's harsh, if needed, speech nights earlier were all massing together and starting to make sense… and then there was one more thought that was really confusing Dash the most and yet it applied just as much…

He'd sent Danny home bleeding and bruised before on his worst days… and that Pandora lady had been ready to tear down an entire fortress after seeing Danny's wounds. Now his wounds were from torture, but the idea remained.

Why on earth had Danny never sent a creature like Pandora to hurt Dash in return?

ooo

"_I said leave him alone, Dash. Find something better to do with your time than pick on people. You hit them, they bleed, it's a reliable outcome. Beating or wailing on somebody doesn't make you so great or strong in the end," Danny spoke evenly._

_Dash laughed, "It does show that I'm stronger."_

ooo

That memory rang in Dash's mind. _It does show I'm stronger… stronger… stronger…_

Did it? Dash wasn't so sure anymore.

zzz

**Teachers' room. 1:23 PM.**

Lancer sat silently on his bed. Tetslaff had wandered off earlier since the woman could hardly ever sit still. She was more of an action type person and found bliss in just accepting things. Though she was intelligent and resourceful, Lancer would hardly say she was much of a scholar so he was glad to have this moment of peace to think.

Firstly he was thinking on his anger. He had learned briefly from the talk between Pandora and the group that Daniel had been treated poorly by the leaders of the Ghost Zone as well. The poor boy, since the age of fourteen, struck like a battered ping pong ball between two worlds and neither truly appreciated him. At the very least, it seemed Daniel had good friends in some of the ghosts in the Zone.

The second thought that had come more quietly into the forefront of his mind was a bit more of an enigma. Pandora had said Phantoms… and in plural and indeed Lancer remembered that Phantom had a cousin… that looked just like Fenton's adopted sister.

Lancer had a good idea that there was something more there, but for now he had nothing more to go on. He could speculate all sorts of things about how that had happened or what was going on, even something as ridiculous as the Fentons trying to form an army of hybrid clones.

Lancer almost laughed at the idea. For now he'd continue to learn so he could help the best he could.

zzz

**Danny and Tucker's room. 1:23 PM.**

"Ow."

"Danny…"

"Ow. Ow. Ow."

"Danny…."

"Ow."

Sam stopped walking and smirked at her boyfriend. They had returned from Pandora's medical wing several minutes ago and were walking back towards the room Danny and Tucker would share. Tucker and Valerie had gone to the war strategy room to talk about everything they'd gathered about their situation; they still weren't sure what was going on and didn't even know who had saved Danny's life. Regardless, Danny was now without a shirt and his torso was wrapped in a few layers of bandages that were already turning slightly rusty with left over blood and fluid. The doctors had used a concentrated ecto-energy of some sort to zap the minor infection they'd discovered in Danny's system. He was weak and his wounds, which had had to be opened to be thoroughly cleaned out, were very sore. Sam knew Danny was milking it though… just a little.

"Danny, the pain killers will work soon. Stop being a baby," Sam remarked and rolled her eyes.

Danny merely spluttered as the couple entered the room and Sam helped Danny sit on one of the beds. "A baby!? I was whipped! and my throat started to bleed from my burns there!"

Danny immediately regretted saying those words when he saw a somber look consume his girlfriend's pretty face. He realized that Sam, being Sam, had tried to make light of something that had very much bothered her, namely Danny's torture and near full death.

"Sam… I'm sorry."

"Please…"

Danny sucked in a breath when he smelt the smallest trace of saltwater and he knew she was crying.

"Please don't say your sorry… it makes it so much worse." Sam heaved slightly as sobs started to take control of her. Sam was one that would never cry in front of people if she could help it; the idea that she was crying **for** him was touching, though of course not wanted.

Danny silently pulled her closer to him and she cried on his bandages. The saltwater did sting and her sobs put pressure on his wounds, but it hurt so much more to watch her cry.

Sam was eventually able to control her sobs though tears still trailed down her face some, carrying a bit of make-up with them. She pulled closer and looked up at Danny's big blue and sad eyes, looking back at her.

"You are one of the last people in the world that deserves something like that," Sam spoke.

Danny gave a slight smile but didn't respond. He continued looking into Sam's eyes before he closed his own. "I didn't think I'd still be half alive today." Sam didn't get the chance to agree before his mouth descended on hers.

Completely forgetting everything around them, except for each other, Sam griped Danny's shoulders tightly as they kissed and then ran her hands over his chest and down to his bandaged developing abs. She almost let out a girlish giggle she would've been ashamed of normally when her actions caused her boyfriend to let out a moan that echoed slightly. Sam was unsure if that was the ghost in him or the build of the room, but it didn't really matter at the moment.

She gasped when he started kissing on her neck as well as lower them both onto the bed. What in the world had happened to modest Danny? It was then that she noticed his eyes were starting to glow green. Suddenly Sam felt so afraid and the very fact that she was feeling such deep fear was in and of itself, frightening. Sam realized as she started to kiss Danny more and more deeply, that she was afraid of how much she felt she needed him.

They had finally started to calm down after a bit, both because Sam was running out of breath, they still needed to work on Danny's mindfulness of her breath holding abilities, and Danny was starting to get even more sore from his wounds.

They sat in lovely and blissful silence together for several minutes. Sam passed her had through Danny's hair countless times as they sat there, him laying down and her sitting up against the bed rest.

"I meant it you know."

Sam paused in her latest pass through Danny's hair at his sentence.

"I love you, so much." Danny mumbled the last bit. Sam could tell the pain medication was starting to kick in and the Halfa's body was trying to sleep so it could focus on healing. If he rested he could have nothing but scars by mid-morning tomorrow.

Sam sighed and let a tiny smile come to her face. She closed her eyes in rest before she replied. "I love you too, Danny."

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**July Storm: Lancer finally knows, huh? Will he confront danny about it?**

**NoSignal: Well you'll have to see. I can't answer that without spoiling something. ;)**

**Great: Love the chapter, although how the heck did Walker know where to find Danny?**

**NoSignal: That will all be answered eventually. :)**

**Jam Master123: What will happen when Lancer confronts him?**

**NoSignal: I can't answer that without spoiling something. ;)**

**MagnusVolcanus: So here's a question, if blood blossoms energize ectoplasim to the point of self destruction, and the ghostly wail drains energy at a horrifying rate, does that mean Danny could in theory Wail away the blood blossoms? And wouldn't they in fact, enhance the Wail?**

**NoSignal: That's an interesting theory but:**

**"While stimulants were a non issue to ghosts, something that could hyper-activate every molecule in their forms was different."**  
**If blood blossoms were merely a stimulant than yes, Danny's wail would be strengthened and could destroy the blossoms. But because blossoms actually denature ectoplasm in a sense, it doesn't give ectoplasm more energy but shakes the molecules so badly that they fall apart. It's like telling someone to drink coffee or eat sugar versus telling them to eat fire.**  
**One gives temporary energy and the other simply destroys.**

**king of the shadows: How soon till the reformed dan can com into play?**

**NoSignal: He's not reformed yet. We are talking about a really messed up guy... but as for when... I can't say, both because I don't want to spoil anything and because I'm not sure how much writing/chapters exactly until we get to that point.**

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**Thanks for all your wonderful reviews and support!**

**~NoSignal**


	19. End of Day Six and Day Seven: Ghost Zone

**Hey there everyone! I hope this chapter is interesting. Has a little time with Tucker and Valerie, some more Dan, and some more questions from students.**

**Anyways there's something else I wanted to announce as well. I'm working on a crossover story between Danny Phantom and Inuyasha. I'm going to finish writing the story in its entirety before I start publishing it, since I'm actively publishing two stories already. This is probably be the only story that I use the TUE excuse to initiate the crossover. It's useful, but used too often. Anyways I wanted to see what my DP fans thought of me doing this crossover so I'm going to give you all some sneak peeks from the current script.**

zz

Danny blinked and finally fell to his knees, gripping large handfuls of plush grass between his fingers. "I… I can't do this Clockwork. I wish I could tell you I'm strong enough and brave enough to keep going, but maybe that's the problem. I tried playing the hero, but deep down I'm a coward. I can't do this alone, not without them. I can't. I want to die, but unless you do it, I'll probably just turn into some kind of Evil Danny incarnate even if Vlad isn't here." Fresh tears trailed down the half-ghost's face and fell onto his hands and the grass below. "I'm a coward, Clockwork! I can't do this! I'm not as great as you think I am!"

zz

Immediately everyone started to murmur loudly to each other. Rikichi stared at Danny for a long while before he rose his hand and got most everyone to quiet down. "A Hanshin who is also a Shugoshin? Does he even have such power? He looks merely like a young boy, not yet at the cusp of manhood yet."

Danny spluttered. "I totally have chest-hair you know!"

Inuyasha grumbled and put his hand on Danny's head, mashing the boy's wild hair over his eyes. "Baka, stop putting your foot in your mouth."

zz

Danny grabbed Inuyasha's wrist and squeezed with a bit of his enhanced strength. "Don't do that again."

The Hanyou and Hanshin stared at each other for several minutes in complete silence. The air was tense and gold eyes locked with blue, which now had green shining through them.

"Keh, not a bad grip, Danny." Inuyasha finally scoffed and pulled out of Danny's grasp. Danny only stared in confusion at Inuyasha as the Hanyou stood back and put his hands into his robe sleeves.

zz

**So if you can, tell me what you think and if you'd be excited for this kind of crossover. Oh and The next chapter will be up in two weeks.**

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zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_I don't know where I'm going, but I'm on my way.__" __Carl Sandburg_

zzz

**War Room. 2:30 PM.**

"But that just doesn't make any sense."

"I know, I know, but no other ghost uses that kind of weaponry. I mean I suppose it could be an unknown, but that's not very likely either."

Valerie frowned as she watched her boyfriend stare at the large strategy table and all its tiny pieces and intricate drawings. He was in deep thought and trying to piece together everything that had happened so far. It wasn't coming to them easily.

"Why would Skulker help Walker hunt us down, only to save Danny?" Valerie finally asked again.

Tucker cocked a brow and looked at her. "If we knew the answer to that, do you think we'd still be sitting in here?"

Valerie grumbled something under her breath.

"Look what we do know is that Walker would like to kill Danny, Skulker would've liked to have have his… pelt."

Both Tucker and Valerie grimaced and shivered in disgust at that before Tucker continued.

"What we need to figure out is what would motivate Skulker to not kill Danny or at least to prevent his death?"

The two sat for a moment before Valerie spoke up, "Maybe he wanted to be the one to do the deed himself?"

Tucker pondered that for a minute. "I don't know. I suppose it's possible… Danny has been saying that Skulker's been acting funny lately."

"Didn't he say not long ago that Skulker had the chance to kill him and didn't?" Valerie asked.

Tucker nodded. "I do know that the only thing that has kept Danny safe from Skulker in the past, when he should've been dead, was Vlad…" Tucker paused for a second and furrowed his brows. "I wonder…"

"You don't think Vlad had some hand in this, do you?"

Tucker sighed. "It certainly doesn't feel like his normal kind of plan… It's usually more organized and Danny's secret and by extension Vlad's is at risk here…"

"Yeah I guess you're right, it doesn't sound right…" Valerie hummed.

Tucker grumbled. "What's different? What would cause Vlad to do something like this?"

Valerie blinked. "You still think it's Vlad? Even though this so called plan doesn't seem right?"

Tucker picked himself up and started to pace back and forth. "Skulker only really is afraid of Vlad. And so far we have nothing else to support against the idea that Skulker is the one that saved Danny's life on the gallows…" Tucker let out a sigh. "As it stands, we have to assume it's Vlad and then try and figure out what's different… figure out what would cause him to risk so much."

Valerie huffed and fell back into a plush chair near a bookcase. "I mean, I'm part of the team…"

Tucker looked over at her and then it seemed as though the metaphorical light bulb came on over his head. Tucker face turned sober and it upset Valerie.

"What?" She asked in worry.

Tucker glanced at the ground. "Tell me this… What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a reason as to why someone would take a huge risk with anything?"

Valerie stared at him for a silent minute. "If you had nothing left to loose. What does that have to do with?-"

"What has changed the most since you joined Team Phantom? What aspect would you say has had the greatest effect on Danny?"

Valerie furrowed her brows and then a light came to her eyes. "The Fentons?"

"Right. Vlad's obsession is Mrs. Fenton, Danny, and in a greater scope, control. Danny's is his loved ones and in a greater scope, protection. When a ghost or even half-ghost's obsession is threatened, then they loose a bit of their reason. You remember when Dani was almost blasted by the GiW, right? Danny went nuts. I think that… I think Vlad somehow found out that Danny's parents know the secret."

Valerie's mouth opened slightly in surprise and then shut. "So that means that Vlad doesn't have anything to loose…"

Tucker nodded grimly. "He must have figured that we could rat him out whenever and he'd loose his reputation, his money, his freedom… I mean yeah, we're not sure how the government would treat any hybrid, but nevertheless, it's still a threat in his mind since the Fentons are behind Danny now. That's what's different, Danny has a larger support system now."

Valerie tightened her hands into fists. "Oh yeah, so he's all cocky and superior when he's playing mind games with minors and young adults, but our dear mayor chickens out when the adults get involved."

Tucker smiled half-heartedly at Valerie. "Eh, that's how it is."

Valerie rubbed her temples as Tucker walked over and gave her a one-armed hug. Valerie groaned slightly in exasperation as she carefully rested her head on the side of his. Tucker was still growing a bit and had only really fallen behind Danny because of Mr. Fenton's genes.

"So now we aren't only possibly dealing with a manipulative creep, but an even more emotionally unstable manipulative creep?" Valerie asked. She felt him timidly rub her back before breaking away. He slung his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. He then looked at her and grinned a very large and goofy grin.

"Seems like it. Danny will probably have a minor embolism, Sam will wanna beat someone up and people will probably start to wonder where our class is in a couple days. It's been six days since we got here and we should be at the pick up spot in a day and a half or so. It'll take us about that time to get to the Fenton Portal." Tucker shrugged. "If everything goes right, we can get out of this without much harm done… but that almost never happens for us, so…"

Valerie rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Tucker, this is serious. Vlad could be anywhere. What do you think his plan might actually be? Why let Walker get involved?"

"He's not thinking as articulately as normal and he probably underestimated the web of friends Danny's collected in the Zone. Vlad doesn't know about Pandora, or Dora, or Clockwork as far as we know."

"But-"

"Val." Tucker started, suddenly loosing his teasing attitude. She quieted in slight surprise. "I know that there are a lot of what ifs here, but let's be honest, I'm not in Vlad's fruit-loopy head. We'll just have to find out the rest as we go and try are hardest to be prepared for whatever Vlad has planned."

Valerie let out a big sigh. "Right, right. I think I'm getting over excited. Thanks, Tucker."

Tucker gave a smile. "No worries."

"Let's go check on Sam and Danny. I wanna see if he's sleeping yet. I'll tie him to the bed if I have to."

"Sam probably beat you to it."

Valerie chuckled and gave Tucker a short kiss before walking towards the door. She paused when she realized he wasn't following her. "Tucker?" She turned and saw him staring dreamily at nothing. She rolled her eyes and walked back to grab him by the sleeve and drag him out of the room. "You big goof."

zzz

**Pariah's Keep. 12:06 AM.**

The large sarcophagus rattled powerfully within the throne room. Of course Pariah Dark was fighting hard, hard as about any full ghost could against Malus' grip, but ultimately it was a pointless endeavor. For a full ghost to try and escape the grasp of Malus' control was like trying to keep sand from sliding between parted fingers; there was too many cracks in a person's or ghost's self, too many imperfections where there for Malus to take advantage of.

Pariah's body was almost his. It was taking lots of energy and he would need rest, but Pariah was about to fall. Pariah gave another roar and tried to shake the dark entity from him, but in response, Malus only finished worming his form deep into Pariah's core. The black mark was floating within the core like an island, an island that was steadily growing. The core had been breached.

It was now only a matter of time.

zzz

**Pandora's Palace. 8:04 AM.**

"Are you certain you're feeling better, Daniel?" Pandora asked the next morning. Everyone had woken up and already eaten a nice breakfast. Danny had told everyone that he needed to talk with Pandora for a moment before they could travel to their next location, namely a short break at Clockworks and spending the night at Dora's castle. The rest of the plan was to make it to the Far Frozen the next day and then use the rest of the second day to get the Portal. Tucker and Valerie had already told Danny and Sam about their theory on Vlad's hand in their current situation as well.

"Yes I'm fine, Pandora. Nothing but a few scars now." Danny chuckled nervously when she eyed the bandages that peaked out below one of his shirt sleeves. "I'm just keeping the bandages on so that the others don't know I've got fast healing."

Pandora sighed and nodded. "Very well… The last thing I want to warn you about is to be mindful of Malus…"

Danny froze. "Malus? Clockwork told you about-"

Pandora rose a placating hand. "He mentioned it to some of the more prominent leaders in the Zone."

"How many?"

"About twenty…"

"Twenty!?" Danny asked in shock. "Wait…"

Pandora smiled and placed a large hand on Danny's shoulder. "Daniel, there are many other groups in the Zone that are considered peaceful. You just haven't met them yet. Hopefully Frostbite will get the chance to show you before-oops." Pandora chuckled and pulled back. "Forget I said anything."

Danny furrowed his brows before he shook his head. "So watch out for hatred incarnate… gotcha."

Pandora nodded. "I only wish my box was able to hold more evil…"

Danny looked at her in confusion. "Huh?"

Pandora smiled. "Malus was the reason I created my box. It was able to take in a certain amount of the evil that forms in the Zone. It was only a matter of time before more hatred formed and replaced what I'd taken away… thus is how things are."

Danny's mouth had slowly opened in surprise and understanding before snapping shut. "I get it…"

"Head on out and stay safe, Daniel." Pandora smiled as Danny headed towards the door. The young half-ghost was about to exit before he stopped and grinned.

"Oh by the way, I may need you to help teach me."

"Teach you what?"

"How to better control electricity!"

Pandora's face broke into a grin, which was slightly creepy in nature. "Glorious! I happily await my chance to tutor you, Daniel. I've heard from Hakan and Frostbite that you're a good student."

Danny flushed a bit before he shouted a quick goodbye and disappeared. Pandora laughed to herself after he was gone.

"Best of luck, Great One."

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 8:59 AM.**

"So how are you feeling, Danny?" Brandon asked as the group fell in behind their four leaders.

Danny turned his head a bit and smiled. "Much better. Still sore, but much better."

Everyone seemed to relax some at that, even the A-listers.

"Yeah Danny's almost as indestructible as his old man!" Tucker declared loudly.

"Hey!" Danny whined out and swatted at his friend, who ducked.

"Where are we heading next?" Star suddenly asked, surprising Paulina slightly.

"Well we can get to Clockwork's by lunch… I didn't really want to stop there, but it's the only safe place I know of between Pandora's and Dora's lairs," Danny expressed.

"Who is Clockwork?" Norman question calmly, listening carefully for any interesting details. Mikey and Lester were also into figuring out whatever it was that the quartet was hiding, Brandon was a bit more apprehensive, however.

Danny chuckled a bit nervously. "He's sorta… Father Time?"

"A Brief History of Time!" Lancer exclaimed. "You aren't serious are you, Mr. Fenton?"

A strange blank expression came over Dash's face and everyone else started murmuring to each other.

"He's pretty cool, don't worry. He won't tell you anything really either. He is benevolent though and that's all that really matters," Danny expressed.

"So many questions that could be asked," Lancer murmured.

"He won't answer them." Danny chuckled.

Lancer only blinked and then shook his head.

"He rarely interferes with anything either," Danny continued. He then stopped walking and turned to looked at everyone seriously. It kinda freaked a few people out at first. "Listen all of you. You can not, can NOT, touch anything in his lair unless he gives you permission to, understand?"

Everyone took a moment or two before nodding slowly.

Danny then smiled and nodded. "I'm counting on you all." He then turned and continued to walk.

Everyone behind the ghost hunters glanced at each other before following again.

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 11:22 AM.**

The Time Master drifted about his lair, moving things and dusting off and few others.

"What the hell are you up to?"

Clockwork paused and smiled slightly. "Well, Dan. I'm cleaning and preparing my lair."

"Since when do you kiss the Observants' butts?"

Clockwork chuckled. "Never. I'm having some very important guests in about the next fifty minutes and twelve seconds from now."

"You get guests other than my younger self?"

"He's among them."

"Oh is he?"

Clockwork noticed the silence that came after and used it as an invitation to talk and test the waters. "You see, after a series of events, Daniel and his friends have found themselves in the Ghost Zone with some of their classmates and a couple of their teachers. They need a place to rest before heading towards Dora's Castle. I will be providing lunch for them. After they leave, I shall be moving my lair to avoid someone less trustworthy from finding it in the future."

Clockwork looked over his shoulder at the dented thermos. After another minute of silence, Dan must have realized he hadn't responded.

"Oh, well have fun at your tea party." Obvious sarcasm dripped from the words. "Am I invited?" Cause if I'm not, then I'll have to crash it."

Clockwork shrugged as if what was said was no problem. "If you behave, then you're invited."

"Pssht, behave? Hell, no. What do you take me for?"

"Now Dan, there is no correct answer to that for you, is there?" Clockwork replied, smiling. He was happy that he'd directed the conversation that way. Dan made a noise as if to respond but merely grumbled softly and grew quiet. Clockwork could've sworn he'd heard Dan say something like, 'Damn you.' but he couldn't be sure.

He turned back when he noticed one of his clocks was a bit slow. "Can't have that." He murmured and moved to continued tidying his lair.

zzz

**The Thermos. 12:08 PM.**

Dan had been angry for the past fifty minutes and twelve seconds. _Know it all, fool._ He'd been halted on what Clockwork had forced him to think about; the old man always seemed to make him have some form of cognitive dissonance with every talk they had.

"_Pssht, behave? Hell, no. What do you take me for?"_

"_Now Dan, there is no correct answer to that for you, is there?"_

There was two basic answers that Clockwork could give, he was a heartless monster, like everyone had told him he was for ten years or he was some sad weak and lost little creature. These were the two extremes of course but ultimately the two ends of the scale. The real issue that Clockwork had brought up was more simple. Would he have been pleased with either answer that could've been given?

The truth? No. He would've been upset with either. Being called a monster may up his distorted ego, but it also made him angry. Anger that stemmed from never knowing acceptance. And being called weak and lost? Please. He would have a fit of rage at that one.

So in truth, Clockwork was right, there was no right answer and that in and of itself, frustrated Dan. He thought rage, pain, and violence was what he desired, but now, everything was too mixed up, too confusing, too LOUD and ACTIVE and HE was trying to THINK things THOURHG and NOTHINSFH MADE SEANSE ANYMOOR!

Dan clutched his head in panic as he started to loose his sense of self. Though he needed no air in his lungs like all full ghosts, his chest started to contract and expand rapidly as though… he was hyperventilating.

"Damn you Clockwork… you sick fool…" Dan growled trying to make everything quiet and calm like a cold fury again. He didn't have emotions… He was… a full ghost… no human emotions… to drag him down…

"_You didn't get rid of your humanity, Dan. You merely ridded yourself of a likeness… the human parts of yourself you thought you'd discarded never truly left."_

"No…" Dan muttered almost turning it into a whimper before he caught himself. He heard the distinct sound of Clockwork's doors opening and knew the guests had arrived. He heard them all talking with Clockwork and introducing themselves then.

And just like that, the calm rage came again and a grin marred his face. He could have fun with this… He could ruin Danny's life… Cause chaos… His grin faltered slightly and wasn't as fully wicked as it used to be. Something was tugging on his core and for some reason he couldn't make his voice work.

_A few simple words. You can't say, "Danny Fenton is Phantom!"_

Dan growled a bit softly to himself. So what if he couldn't do that? Maybe he couldn't make himself fully endanger his younger self anymore for whatever reason, but he could at least antagonize the hell out of him. This filled the ghost with a great pleasure. As he heard everyone quiet down, he let out a loud enough chuckle to draw the humans' and Clockwork's attention.

"Well lookie who came by for a visit… Did ya miss me, Danny-boy?"

As soon as he could practically feel Danny's glare level at his prison, he almost let out more of a giggle only he himself could hear. This would be the most fun he'd had in at least a year, minus that time he'd used every curse word he'd ever heard while the Observants had been visiting once. Clockwork didn't speak to him for a month afterwards.

"Be quiet." … "Clockwork is there anyway to make him be quiet? You know how vulgar he can be."

Dan growled and was curious to feel slight hurt course through him.

"I promised him he could talk if he behaved."

Dan rolled his eyes in annoyance, before going along with whatever Clockwork was scheming.

"Yeah, squirt. I'll play along… Is Dash there?"

He heard a yelp and couldn't help but let out a bellowing and truly evil sounding laugh if he did say so himself.

"Who… who are you?"

Dan heard a trembling voice ask him and he couldn't quiet place who had spoken. He snorted loudly. "May I ask who is speaking?" He asked back with sarcasm.

"Uh… Stah stah Stan…"

"Stan? Oh yeah, Stan. Blond hair, red glasses? I remember you."

"Huh!?"

"Stop it, Dan."

Dan huffed, finally hearing Danny address him. "Oh? And why should I? Oh brave hero?"

"That's enough."

Dan flinched slightly at Sam's voice and then sneered, though he knew no one could see him.

"Ah, hello Samantha…"

"You can't call me that either."

"You going to let me out and make me stop?" He could hear her growl under her own breath.

"My I ask how you know us so well?"

Dan paused when he recognized Mr. Lancer's voice. Danny interrupted his answer.

"He used to haunt Amity and Phantom took him down. He was one that we couldn't handle without Phantom's help."

Dan snorted. "Lucky break. The bastard with the giant ass clock on his chest was the only reason things turned out okay for you, never forget that!" Dan shouted in slight anger, feeling like his ego was taking a hit. Without what he'd done to Danny, what was he but a bad memory, a shadow of a memory even? Damn it. He really had been cooped up with Clockwork for too long. If he wasn't already crazy, which he wasn't too hesitant to admit, he would be fully bonkers if he stayed here for all time.

"I will never forget."

Dan was silenced at that, not really sure how to feel about the sad conviction in his younger self's voice… no in Danny's voice. He still had trouble forgetting… that he wasn't really connected to him anymore. Dan was suddenly very tired of thinking and talking and listening to voices that were supposed to belong to people that were long dead in his memories…

"Psst whatever. I'm shutting up now. I hope Unicorns or a Behemoth eat you all." Dan finished snarkily before turning away and staring silently at the other side of the thermos. He closed his eyes and tried to block out every noise from outside. While ghosts didn't sleep like humans, they could enter a sort of recharging trance, which like sleep, could be used against a ghost to take them off guard. Inside the thermos though, it was the only thing to really pass time. That, or talk to Clockwork. The voices died away and blissful numbness took over.

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 12:12 PM.**

"How about you take everyone to the dining hall, Daniel?" Clockwork suddenly asked, making everyone peel their gaze from the now silent thermos. Danny was the last to do so and couldn't help a last few glances.

"Okay." Danny nodded and looked at everyone. "This way, guys." Everyone then started to follow Danny and his friends, except one person.

Mr. Lancer lagged behind and turned fully to face Clockwork.

"You are still confused, are you not, Gerald?"

Lancers face drained of color. "Wha… you really are…" Lancer gapped as the elderly looking ghost changed into an infant form. "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button…"

Clockwork chuckled. "Why yes. I am Father Time, Chronos, The Lord of Time, and many other names from many other places; however, I prefer Clockwork."

Mr. Lancer shook his head. "I'm too old for… I mean." Lancer cringed slightly.

Clockwork only smiled. "No need to worry, such things cannot be helped. Language changes throughout the ages as well you know."

Lancer smiled back. "Indeed. Daniel indicated that you would not answer any obvious questions-"

"Ah yes, but you've decided to ask something more important and less selfish, haven't you?"

Lancer sighed. "You truly do know everything, hm?"

"Just about. There are very few things that escape my notice."

"About Daniel and his…"

"He is Phantom. Phantom is but a name. His body works fine. It merely works in ways a bit different from most humans. His very DNA was altered so he is practically a different creature."

Lancer let out a sigh of relief. "So he is healthy."

"Yes, even the wounds he had sustained from Walker are gone. Only scars remain."

Lancer blinked. "Then he-"

"Only to continue the charade that he is still healing."

Lancer stared at the ground for a moment before he narrowed his gaze. "You watched him be tortured and you did nothing? How… how can you watch so much suffering-"

Lancer stopped when Clockwork rose his hand. "I assure you, Gerald, I wish I could do more. It's a very complex machine I watch over, Time. I hope you can understand to some degree, as Daniel does, that I can't fix everything, no matter how heartbreaking. Even-"

Lancer shook his head and gazed sadly at the ceiling and the moving clocks. "You don't need to continue. I think I understand. I suppose it was merely a bout of frustration."

"Understandable."

Lancer nodded and turned to join the others, Clockwork trailing behind him. Clockwork placed a hand on Lancer's shoulder briefly.

"Gerald, there is one thing I wish to impart upon you."

Lancer paused to looked back at the ghost.

"Daniel will need support as time goes on. He will need acceptance and love. Humans, be them full or hybrid are social creatures. To be denied that, especially while he is still somewhat young would be very detrimental to him."

Lancer watched as Clockwork slowly looked over his shoulder to let his gaze linger on the thermos that held whatever that spirit was inside of it. Lancer blinked in confusion and looked back at Clockwork. "Wha…?"

"With time all things become clearer, but as I've told Daniel many times and something which he has practiced often in his life, 'everyone deserves a second chance.'"

Lancer shut his mouth slowly and then nodded. "He has been forgiving… very forgiving."

"Now then, how about a nice lunch. Then I can shoo you all off towards Dora's."

Lancer merely smiled as the ghost and human moved into the adjoining room.

zzz

**Clockwork's Dining Hall. 12:31 PM.**

Everyone was enjoying a nice lunch in the dining hall. The only person that wasn't eating much, was Dash.

Kwan looked over at his friend, when he noticed he was somewhat sluggish. Alroy followed his gaze.

"Hey bro, you gonna eat that chicken leg?" Alroy asked.

Dash furrowed his brows in frustration at his friend before stuffing the leg in the other boy's mouth. Alroy didn't seem to mind much and just started to eat.

Kwan frowned. "You okay, Dash?"

Dash sighed and looked around to make sure no one was really paying attention. He spotted Danny talking softly to Sam, Tucker and Valerie and even witnessed Sam intertwine her hand with Danny's, subconsciously. "Kwan?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you think Fenton didn't send any of these powerful ghosts to get revenge on us?"

Kwan seemed to be stunned for a moment before he furrowed his own brows in deep thought. "I guess… I guess because it wasn't the right thing to do. I mean… I can't really come up with any other reason."

Dash looked at his closest friend and nodded. "It just seems…"

Kwan frowned. "Yeah… I don't know man. Maybe ghosts were just scarier than us, ya know?"

Dash chuckled a bit. "I should hope that's the only thing scarier." His normal personality came through for a moment. He then sobered again. "Hey Kwan?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about… getting rid of the whole A-lister thing?"

Kwan rose a brow in surprise for a moment before following Dash's gaze again to see Danny and his friends laughing loudly at something one of the Nerds had said. Even the Neutrals were starting to think it funny and were laughing. He smiled a bit. "Maybe… it's about time we all grew up, ya know?"

Dash leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling. "Do you think any of them will forgive us. Lancer seemed to think it was unlikely."

"We can only try. I mean that's like asking if a play will bring a football to the touchdown zone."

Dash grinned. "Good point. When we get the chance, let's talk to the others and see what they say."

"Star will do it."

"I figured she was the weakest link… but I guess that was technically a good thing."

"Yep."

The talk stopped there and the two went back to eating.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 1:13 PM.**

The students and teachers were now all standing a tiny ways down the road that led near Clockwork's lair. Sam, Tucker, and Valerie had shown the group how the swim, albeit a little clumsily and slowly, through the atmosphere and make it to the road. Danny on the other hand had stayed when Clockwork had mentioned some parting advice.

"Daniel, I just have one thing to say."

Danny looked up at his, for all practical purposes, mentor and nodded for him to continue.

"Don't forget to continue giving others second chances, alright?"

Danny blinked and then nodded once more. "Of course, Clockwork." He turned to jump after waving goodbye and frowned in confusion, wondering what would cause Clockwork to remind him something practically second nature to him. He shrugged it off as he touched down next to the group, focusing on the task at hand.

"Let's get moving, people!" Danny called out. "We've got several hours of walking ahead of us."

A chorus of groans from almost everyone else, answered him. Danny merely smiled though, because it was better groaning than dead.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 5:45 PM.**

They were honestly all a bit tired, some mostly bored, but everyone else, tired of walking.

"We've got to be close…" Sam sighed and let out a grumble.

Danny laughed lightly. "I think so, not much longer now."

"Dude, you've said that like a bajillion times already," Tucker responded.

"Stop being a baby," Valerie spoke and nudged Tucker.

Danny was about to open his mouth when a wisp of blue fog poured out.

"Oh shit." Sam muttered. The four had halted and thus the rest of the group had stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything okay up there?"

Danny started to look around and talk to Sam and Tucker softly as Valerie calmed the group.

"What are we going to do, guys?" Tucker asked worriedly. "Danny can't go ghost!"

"Tell us something we don't know," Sam replied sarcastically.

"I mean… I guess I might… I might not have much of a choice," Danny murmured softly.

Sam locked eyes with her boyfriend and saw a bit of fear flicker through his irises along with a spray of acid green energy that then vanished.

"Maybe-" Tucker started but was interrupted, along with everyone else who'd been talking, by a voice.

"Hmmmmm… Look what we have here, Bertrand. My wonderful and delightfully imperfect Casper High students…"

"Even the little _loser_ is with them."

Everyone looked up and saw Spectra and Bertrand in their human forms, grinning sadistically at them.

Danny merely growled.

"Danny darling, how are those scars? Tender? Beautiful like a child's distorted scribblings?" Spectra taunted as she and Bertrand lowered onto the wide path and faced the group.

"You're not getting under my skin, Spectra, so you can save your breath," Danny replied harshly.

"Ooohhh, but I don't have to. I'm certain Skulker's blades and Walker's toys and countless others have done that already." Spectra smiled. "I've just gotta strike a nerve is all…"

Danny shivered as he felt some of his strength flow towards Spectra. "Damn it…" The half-ghost whispered.

"We taking a little field trip or something?" Bertrand asked and leaned forward. "Don't you know that this place is dangerous?" He shifted his form into that of a large grizzly bear by the time he'd finished speaking. "This place is for dead people like us, however… that can be fixed."

"Now now, Bertrand, leave a few alive so that their fear and sorrow can sustain us." Spectra sobered and then glared at Danny. "I'll take care of Danny-boy."

Everyone had backed up and some were almost falling off the road. Danny and his friends stood defiantly in front of the group as the two ghosts came closer. Danny gulped and looked over his shoulder at his teachers and classmates with worry. He opened his mouth to speak and faltered when he saw the complete understanding on Lancer's face. Before he could gather his thoughts, a new voice echoed from nearby.

"Halt, villains!"

Everyone, including Spectra and Bertrand, froze and looked over to see a group of knights galloping towards them.

"You are trespassing on her majesty's lands! If you do not leave, then you will be taken to the Dungeons or sent to Walker's prison. If you resist arrest then will shall fight you until second death!"

Spectra and Bertrand growled in frustration before turning to Danny and his group sharply. Spectra spoke, "You're lucky this time." She then darted away and slipped into invisibility with Bertrand following suit. Before much more could be done, the group of knights on their flaming unicorns, surrounded the class.

Danny stepped forward and sighed happily. "Thanks, Sir Tybalt. You and your men came just in time."

The lead knight, wearing steel armor and a blue cape, which distinguished him from his other men, nodded. "Sir Pha-enton…" Tybalt spoke as his mount shifted nervously. "Your thanks is appreciated. Shall we escort you and your party to her majesty's?"

Danny chuckled anxiously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes please, Sir Tybalt. We need a place to sleep and rest for the night."

"Understood."

The class then walked within the protective circle of the knights and their mounts towards Dora's Castle.

zzz

**Dora's Castle. 6:01 PM.**

Everyone walked in the large front hall of the castle with awe, with the exception of those that had been there. Dora had greeted her guests happily and had graciously brought them to a nice dinner. After the meal, everyone was allowed to walk about, with Dora mentioning only a couple places for them to avoid. Danny and his friends talked with Dora as everyone else did their own things.

zzz

**A-listers in the Great Hall. 7:00 PM.**

"Dash are you like, okay?" Dinah asked as the large blond jock paced back and forth in front of the assembled group.

Dash paused and let out a sigh before scratching his scalp. "Me and Kwan have been talking and we were thinking that it was about time to disband the A-listers."

There was a short stunned silence that followed, before Tyson spoke up.

"I guess… I don't really care much either way anymore. Norman's actually a pretty cool dude, he collects baseball cards like I do."

"Yeah same here," Lesley replied.

"Yeah…"

"I think it's best this way."

"I'm kinda tired of it too."

"Not as stressful, ya know?"

Star smiled as everyone started talking about the new doors they opened for themselves and the likelihood of the other, non-A-listers forgiving them. She turned and looked at Paulina, who was silent.

"Pauly, you okay?"

Paulina looked up at Star and frowned. "They all have something… Without the A-listers, what do I have? It's one thing trying to become true friends with you and the others. It's another thing to try and let go of everything we've known. You're smart, Dash is a good quarterback, Kwan likes animals, heck even Dinah is like a master at applying make-up for people…" Paulina grit her teeth. "I mean… Danny… if it wasn't for him… for them…" She deflated before Star could berate her for trying to blame Danny, when he already had enough on his plate.

"Well you know… I think everyone has a gift or a thing that makes them special. We thought for the longest time that we all were better and more talented than everyone else, but we aren't. Pauly… you just have to find your talent."

Paulina stared at her friend for a moment before looking at the ground. "Do you think… we could all really get along? After everything we've done?"

"Maybe." Star sighed and then smiled sadly. "The first thing I want to do is become friends with Valerie all over again. I think that's a good start for me."

Paulina merely nodded. It was strange, for some reason this trip had become much more life-changing than she would've thought even without almost watching her classmate, die.

zzz

**Nerds in the Dungeon. 7:00 PM.**

"Guys… I don't know if this is a good idea…"

"Dora didn't actually say we couldn't come down here."

"I'd imagine because that's typically a given…"

"It looks just like the New Age Tomes game!"

"Where are the guards?"

Mikey, Lester, Brandon, and Norman stumbled at the bottom of the stairs and found themselves in the damp Dungeons.

"Who's there?"

The four boys froze up at the voice.

"I said, 'Who's there!?'"

Norman peered through the shadows to see a somewhat upperclass looking ghost within a cell. "Who are you?"

"Norman…" Brandon whined.

"I am Aragon. Why are humans in my castle? Did that Phantom bring you here?"

Norman ignored the questions and asked his own. "Aragon… I was wondering… do you know what a Halfa is?"

Aragon sat quietly before a grim and maddened smile came to his face. "Why my dear humans… a Halfa is a half-ghost…"

The four Nerds froze in bafflement and shock.

"Half a ghost… and half a boy."

* * *

**This chapter is a bit short because of the slightly larger AN at the top as well as the way I wanted the chapters spaced out/natural feeling ending to a chapter.**

**I hope it was good nevertheless. Oh and what do you think of Lancer's first name being Gerald / Gerry ? No one else but Clockwork will ever actually say it or know it.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**Great: PS An unrelated question, do blood blossoms also grow in blood grass or do they need to be in another kind of circumstances for growing?**

**NoSignal: Blood Blossoms can't grow in the Ghost Zone at all, else they become over-saturated. Go back to the chapter where Maddie talks about their 'cure' for Blood Blossom poisoning. That should help more :)**

**transmetaljohn: I have a couple of questions though about Dan Phantom. What would happen to Dan if the Fenton Ghost Catcher was used on him? He is a fusion of two ghosts so it would be interesting to see what effect it would have on him. Also, at one point in the show Wulf used his claws to remove Walker from a person he was overshadowing. If he ever used his claws on Dan would that reverse the fusion and split him back into his base forms?**

**NoSignal: I think neither the ghost catcher nor Wulf's claws would do much of anything to Dan. I thought about it and (at least for my headcannon, considering the rules about ghost cores and such that I've constructed in my story) Dan absorbed Vlad's core, not just mixed together with it, a ghost absorbing another ghost isn't the same as overshadowing or the nature of a half-ghost. The catcher splits human from ghost or ghost from human; it wouldn't theoretically split Dan from Vlad since Vlad's ghost core isn't separate or it's own thing anymore. [same goes for Wulf's claws I believe/and the Gauntlets] As for how the fenton ghost catcher works on Danny himself (In my head): The ghost catcher can actually separate Danny down to the molecular level, just like the Ghost Gauntlets(with claws) that Vlad used in TUE. HOWEVER, I don't believe those tools can pull a soul/consciousness entirely out of a being (Danny fenton and phantom ARE the same being not slightly separate or anything like that in my headcannon) so the gauntlets/catcher split the soul in half since it can't take it completely out of the human or ghost half... The soul being within the ghost's core but not something that can be normally reached by any means/and also separate from the core. For danny, his soul switches between hiding in his two forms, which makes his soul even harder to touch. It's in his human form while he's a ghost and in his ghost form while he's human. As for how that half a soul thing works with Dan (seeing as half of him was murdered) and Vlad (seeing as Dan consumed his ghost half) I can't go into detail with that yet ;) Hope that wasn't too confusing XD**

**Astrid Fireheart: What About A Master Challenge/Pondus Omnium Crossover?**

**NoSignal: I'm afraid that won't be happening, sorry.**

* * *

**Thanks to everyone else for their wonderful reviews and support! I'm so glad everyone's liking this story :D**

**~NoSignal**


	20. Day Seven and Day Eight: Ghost Zone

**So sorry for being a bit late guys. I don't have much of an excuse except I let things build up and bad time management. Anyways Here's the next chapter. We'll be out of the Ghost Zone after the next one. I hope you enjoy this chapter and I hope I did a good job of it.**

**The next chapter should be out in two weeks though that may be two and a half weeks due to a special family trip coming up and a summer camp I'm working at between now and then.**

**Thanks for your support and patience, enjoy!**

* * *

zzzz

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_Things that came apart could be put together again, but never exactly the same.__" __~ Deb Caletti, The Six Rules of Maybe._

zzz

**Dora's Dungeon. 7:02 PM.**

The nerds tripped stumbled and crawled over each other to get away from Aragon and the truth that had literally slapped them in the face. As the boys ran to the room they were sharing, Mikey was thinking about what he'd learned.

_A Halfa. A HALFA! Could their classmate really be some kind of Half-ghost thing?_ Mikey's mind started to go over everything in his head that had before meant nothing much. _Danny being so invisible, anxious, all the smallest strange behaviors from the boy all could be brought back to the possibility of this secret. Why did the idea of Danny being ghost like seem so right? There was something nagging him from that back of his mind, but he couldn't put his finger on it. _His thoughts were interrupted by Norman's voice.

"Everyone just settle down, okay?" Norman expressed and slowly, Brandon and Lester calmed.

"I still think he's a superhero in disguise," Lester muttered.

Brandon seemed to grow uncomfortable at the suggestion and diverted his gaze.

"Well one thing is obvious, Tucker, Sam, and Valerie have to know," Norman stated simply.

"Why's that?" Lester asked.

"Well think about it? If Danny really is some kind of Halfa, thing, then that would explain why they have ghost friends and can be ghost hunters at the same time. The question is… is Danny controlling them somehow?" Norman answered and then finished with his question.

Brandon balked. "Danny's good! There's no way he'd be doing bad stuff!"

"I'm still not sure those guys would know…" Lester trailed off before Norman interrupted him.

"Sam's dating Danny… I think she of all people would know if her boyfriend was half-dead," Norman expressed.

"Well she is a goth…"

"You think being half-dead affects… I mean you think Danny's tapped that yet?" Mikey asked as an embarrassed flush came to his face and he wheezed.

Norman chuckled. "I have no clue." His face turned serious again. "But how can someone be half-dead? It just doesn't make sense."

The boy fell into an uneasily silence, glancing at each other hopefully every few moments.

"What would possibly cause someone to half-die?"

Suddenly Mikey remembered what it was that had been bugging him. "By the four gems of the Crystal Leviathan!"

"What!?" The other three turned and stared at Mikey.

Mikey looked at them as the blood ran from his face. "The accident. Danny's accident at the beginning of Freshman Year! The Ghost Portal thingy! Don't you all remember?!"

Slowly Norman, Lester and Brandon started to understand what he was saying.

Norman put a hand to his chin. "But then does that mean his parents know or knew?"

"So what, he wasn't just zapped by electricity?" Brandon asked.

"I'm telling you guys! Superhero in disguise!" Lester yelped.

"Quiet, Lester," Norman sighed and rolled his eyes.

Eventually they decided to go to bed since they'd be waking up early again tomorrow. Brandon was the one that took the longest to fall asleep. After listening to everyone's theories and ideas there was something strange starting to churn in his mind and stomach. He could remember Danny's kind advice about bravery and perhaps that had come from his experience as a ghost hunter… yet Lester kept saying he was like a real-life superhero that was in disguise, but that was impossible, right? Superheroes didn't exist, not really. The only thing even close to that was Danny Phantom. A strange kind of dread floated into Brandon's mind when he thought about Fenton and Phantom along with all the things he'd learned. Something was there, just out of reach and for some reason his caused him to feel dread. It was like his mind was trying to spare him from a sad truth. Finally his eyes slid closed and he went into a troubled sleep, filled with cackling ghosts, superheroes from the comics he read, and then finally a bright white light with a familiar face there that he couldn't place.

zzz

**The Castle. 10:43 PM.**

Mr. Lancer walked about the castle after everyone had gone to bed, with the exception of the ghosts that was. The specters were wandering about and continuing their duties despite the time. Most merely ignored Lancer as he weaved his way about the place and then headed towards a balcony. He did not expect to spot a very familiar specter floating peacefully with a view of the green void outside.

"Phantom…" Lancer whispered and realized that the ghost wasn't responsive… or well his student. Phantom sighed slightly as Lancer noticed his aura getting brighter.

Lancer nearly jumped out of his skin when Dora crept up behind him. "He's in the sleeping trance, getting extra energy from the ether here."

Lancer glanced at the Princess and nodded. "I see. Can all ghosts do this?"

Dora quirked her brow at the strange wording of his sentence, until she seemed to figure something out. "You know then…"

Lancer eyed her and realized what she was referring to. He sighed. "Yes… I found out at the Prison."

Dora nodded softly and this surprised the teacher. He was expecting this ghost to be threatening like Pandora had almost been.

"You will take good care of this secret if you can, right Sir?" Dora asked softly.

"I intend to. He's done so much for us after all."

"Humans aren't the only ones he's helped, you know."

Lancer looked at her for a moment again. "I see. I was wondering how he managed to acquire so many allies here."

"It's not as difficult as it may seem. Most humans' only interaction with ghosts are with the ones that go to the Human Realm seeking revenge or chaos of some kind. You think it frightens you all to have portals be open to the realm of the dead, but it scares us almost as much for you to have access to us. Some of us don't want to face our pasts just as humans don't want to face their inevitable future."

Lancer seemed stunned and then he smiled. "Of course. A wonderful way to explain things. It never even crossed my mind that you may fear us almost as much as we fear you."

"We also understand that your governments don't always work quickly. That is something both our worlds share in common, sadly." Dora laughed softly behind a hand.

Lancer nodded in understanding. Dora started to drift away to tend to other matters before she paused. "I suggest you tell him you know. The only other person that knew and didn't tell him for a period of time was his sister. She was able to help him behind the scenes for a while, but he told me several times where they almost contradicted each other's stories and excuses. It will do less damage to him for you to tell him the truth. He will be panicked, but if you prove to him that you can be trusted…" She turned to face the entranced teacher. "Then he will pretty much welcome you into the fold quiet easily." She smiled and waved. "Goodnight Sir Lancer." She then floated away.

Lancer let out a deep breathe and turned to the look at the open balcony again, only to see Danny staring at him with a slightly sad expression.

"So you know now, huh?" He asked quietly.

Lancer sighed once more before walking over and stood beside his student. He gazed at the green void for a brief moment before speaking. "I had started to watch you three, pardon four, more closely this year. I felt like I needed to know what had been causing your grades to be like they are since I knew what your true potential was. After you left for college, I wouldn't have a grip on you boys and girls anymore and that was something I couldn't accept. I take my job as a teacher seriously, Mr. Fenton. I'm sorry if I over-stepped my bounds by snooping too much."

Lancer glanced over as Danny's rings of transformation finished changing him into Fenton. Danny nodded silently.

"I really didn't want to skip class as much as I did. Ghosts don't have to go to school," Danny chuckled lamely.

"I know that now. I hope you can forgive me-"

Danny stopped him and rose a hand. "For what? Doing your job? Worrying about me? There's not much to feel sorry for, Mr. Lancer." Danny glanced over at his teacher with a sad smile. "You weren't trained for teaching a half-ghost with extracurricular actives." Danny smirked, using air quotes at the end. "If anything, the fact that you were worried about me and noticed something was wrong… meant a lot to me. If I wasn't so afraid of what the general populous would think about me… or do to me… I would've said something a long time ago."

Lancer gently shook his head in slight awe. "You're TheEidolon too, aren't you? The ice that Phantom creates?"

Danny flushed and nodded slowly. "I was trying to practice making swords and other weapons from ice and Sam said that practicing making figures would help my technique and then she said we could sell them too… It was mostly her idea."

Lancer nodded before he grew serious. "How did you become as you are?"

Danny rubbed the back of his neck as he normally did. "The accident right before my freshman year… I was _inside _the portal when it turned on."

Lancer was quiet for a few minutes. "Did it hurt?"

Danny smiled at him and closed his eyes. "It was very very painful then very cold. I think if Sam and Tucker hadn't been there screaming my name… I would've let go of my life and died fully. I was tempted too because of the pain and…" Danny trailed off not continuing, which worried Lancer.

"And?"

Danny just shrugged. "I guess I didn't think I was too important then. Dash hated me, I was a loser at school, my sister was the star child and my parents were too busy with their work." Danny let out a trembling sigh. "I think back then, at the time of the accident, I wasn't sure if anyone would notice if I just… disappeared."

Lancer became distressed before Danny spoke again, letting out a semi-excited breath.

"Then I became Danny Phantom… and for once… I could do something right and help people. Sure I wasn't an Astronaut, but I was a hero." Danny frowned. "At least I've tried to be."

Lancer placed a hand on Danny's shoulder and glared at the boy. "Daniel."

"Yeah?" Danny asked in a slightly upset tone.

"I want you to know something very important. People would've noticed if you'd died, your family, your friends, me… I think you don't realize just how much you mean to people you know, even Dash and those others."

Danny perked up at that and stared at Lancer in confusion. "Huh?"

"I truly believe there's a part of Dash that respects Fenton, not in the way he praises Phantom, but in a way he'd rather not admit even to himself. Sure kids will say cruel things to each other and call each other hurtful things and there's no excuse for that, but through your time at Casper High I think if you'd had the spare time to notice, then you would see just how important your little group of three, now four, is to the students. You all had a mysterious aura around you and your deep friendship for each other was plain for everyone to see…"

A small smile started to creep its way onto Danny's face.

"And another thing." Lancer's face finally softened. "Daniel Fenton, you are the very epitome of a hero. Odysseus and Beowulf have nothing on Phantom."

Danny looked at Lancer in shock and amazement for a moment before he smiled a very relaxed smile. He looked out over the void once more. "Mr. Lancer, you have no idea how much that means to me."

Lancer actually smirked. "Well, Mr. Fenton, I'm just giving credit where credit is due. I do believe I'll go lay down a bit and try to sleep. I'll be keeping your secret and will tutor you if you wish."

Danny didn't even get to reply before Mr. Lancer disappeared. Danny just stood with his mouth slightly open in shock. He carefully placed a hand over the place where his heart and core beat and hummed together. A soft light from his aura glowed around him.

"Thank you." He whispered before fading from sight.

zzz

**Entrance to the Castle. 6:06 AM.**

"I hope you enjoyed your time at the castle, Sir Fenton and friends, and I wish you the best of luck getting to the Far Frozen and then to your homes. Are you sure you don't want escorts or to ride the carriages?" Dora asked.

Danny sighed. "As much as I would love to say yes, we can't."

"Why not?"

"That doesn't make sense!"

"Fenton!"

Sam whipped around and glared at everyone. "Quiet! We have a reason, guys."

Tucker coughed and stood next to Sam as Valerie joined him. "We've talked it over and we believe this entire series of events have been perhaps orchestrated."

"Huh?" Dash asked and scratched his head. Danny stared at him in surprise when he didn't make a sarcastic comment.

"What he means is that we think one of our more dangerous enemies planned this from the start. They found out we were going camping, somehow had a couple of other enemies inadvertently help him and send us here. We're worried he might do something cray if he knew exactly where in the Ghost Zone we were. He also knows we're friends with Dora so he'd be suspicious of a large group of unicorns, carriages and the lot." Valerie expressed.

"Wait, how could someone plan all of this?" Freddie asked.

"We aren't clear on the details, but we don't want to take chances," Danny answered.

"What if another ghostly enemy shows up on the way to this FastFrozen place though?" Kwan asked worriedly and Testslaff nodded.

"We don't have a way to wrestle them into submission."

Norman then narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke, "You all lost your weapons, except Danny knows some other way to 'stun' a ghost since he did stave off Walker before…"

Danny flinched slightly at that and Tucker jumped in much to Sam and Valerie's worry.

"First, it's the _Far_Frozen. Second, it's a secret Fenton Family technique. He can only use it under extreme circumstances."

Everyone started mumbled and eventually seemed to come to accept that answer. Tucker grinned at Sam when she huffed.

"Wow, didn't think that would work. That actually was decent."

"Hey, you don't have to sound so surprised." Tucker pouted.

Valerie only smiled. Danny grinned slightly. "But we are."

"Not cool, dude."

Danny only chuckled lightly before looking at everyone. "Hopefully nothing will find us, but if something does…" Danny paused for a minute before his eyes happened to lock with Lancer's. He'd already told his friends that Lancer was in on the secret, which had left them with mixed emotions that they'd deal with later. "I'll do what I must to make sure everyone's safe."

Lancer seemed to understand exactly what Danny truly meant by that and closed his eyes.

"Alright then, let's head off. We should reach the FarFrozen by late afternoon. The Fenton Portal is only a few hours away after that," Danny spoke.

"So we could be home by the end of today?" Dinah asked and everyone seemed excited.

Danny smiled. "Yeah, it's possible if we don't break too often."

"We could be home before anyone realizes we're gone!"

"I can see my family again!"

"We'll see the sky again!"

Danny's smile only got larger, though he felt a stone of anxiety forming in his gut. It was never that easy. Danny turned and bowed slightly to Dora. "Thank you for your hospitality, Dora."

"Of course, my brave knight. Safe travels."

Everyone then started off down the path that would lead them to the FarFrozen.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 12:00 PM.**

"I think I'd go nuts if I had to float around in a green void for who knows how long," Alroy grumbled as the group trekked on.

"Well it's sort of… I don't know, calming to most ghosts? It makes it easier for some ghosts to deal with their deaths since they don't have to see the sun rise and set anymore and know that time is passing without them." Danny explained.

"How strange and yet it makes sense I suppose," Richard spoke and then sighed.

"It can make humans depressed though, seeing as we thrive with sunlight," Danny continued. They all continued on for a bit longer before Danny pointed at several large icy peaks in the distance. "There it is. Shouldn't be long now. Hopefully they'll have a patrol nearby since it's super cold there and we'd freeze before we got to the caves."

Everyone had a bounce in their step as their eyes landed on their visible destination. They'd be home soon, before anyone knew they were missing. At least, practically before they were missing. Then Murphy had to raise his ugly head again.

Danny shivered mid-step as an icy breath flooded from his mouth, which, unfortunately, everyone was able to witness.

"Ghost-child!"

Everyone froze and turned around to see Skulker hovering above them, casting something of a shadow within the sun-less expanse.

"Skulker, leave!" Danny barked, his eyes flashing green so fast that only the other ghost truly noticed.

"And why would I do that when my prey stands before me without any weapons to defend himself with?"

Danny started to mentally panic as he realized how screwed he was. There was only one thing left for him to do.

"Did you shoot the noose, Skulker?"

Everyone paused and Skulker faltered. Skulker stumbled over his words as if he was confused or conflicted in some way, before a dangerous look came to his face. "And if I did?"

"Why save me when Walker would've happily given you my carcass?"

Skulker growled but said nothing.

"Was it because of Plasmius? Or your honor?"

Skulker hissed angrily. "What difference does it make!?"

Danny frowned slightly and shook his head of a brief hope. "I don't know really. It's just that that's the second time you've spared my life and I'm starting to worry." He gave Skulker a slight smirk.

Skulker growled. "Don't be getting all sentimental, ghost child."

"So which is it?"

"I'm not telling you!"

Danny frowned. "Maybe it's both…" He murmured to himself. "Don't you want to find peace, Skulker?" He asked out-loud.

A moment of silence passed before Skulker leveled his rifle he held at Danny's torso. "All I want is your hide." A gunshot went off and most in the group cried out or screamed in horror when they saw red start to soak through his shirt near the area under Danny's left and bottom most rib. Said teen let out a gasp of pain and surprise before falling back onto his rear.

"RUN!" Danny screamed. Everyone started to run away while Valerie and Sam tried to pull Danny up with them, seeing as they could do so better than Tucker. "No just run and leave me. I can change once you're all far enough away!"

"That won't work, Danny! He'll turn you into swiss cheese before then!" Sam yelled.

"I can manage! I'm already starting to heal!"

"Shut-up Danny! That's a lie!"

"Let go and run!"

"No!"

"For the love of God, run!"

"No!"

"Damn it! I don't want you to get shot!" Danny finally screamed in panic as another pulse of blood and hidden ectoplasm oozed out from his wound.

Another shot fired and barely missed Valerie's foot.

Sam, who was on his left side, used her left hand, which wasn't supporting Danny, to put pressure on his wound. "Just stop screaming and let us help our friend, Danny."

Danny let out a sharp breath of air. Another shot fired and nearly hit Dash's throat. The jock cursed in surprise and fear before he grabbed Danny and hefted him onto his back.

"Dash are you insane!?" Danny cried out in surprise. Sam's mouth had fallen open as she ran and Valerie was glaring at Skulker, trying to see where he'd aim next.

"Shut up Fenton."

"He's trying to shoot me! If he hits me, he'll hit you too, moron!" Danny yelled in pure frustration now.

"I know."

Those two simple words completely silenced Danny. They were getting closer and closer to the FarFrozen, when a wave of ice shards arched through the air and slammed into Skulker. The hunter spiraled out of control, dropping into the abyss quite a ways, before turning and managing to fly off shakily.

A hovercraft stopped, revealing Frostbite and a yeti named Iceclaw. "Humans?" Frostbite asked before he spotted Sam, Tucker and Valerie in the crowd.

"Frostbite! Danny's been shot!" Sam shouted.

The great beast halted and then noticed Danny on Dash's back. He rushed over and scooped Danny into his arms. Danny's face was starting to pale a bit.

"Hey there, Frostbite… I… Dash said I know… magine that…"

Frostbite furrowed his brows in worry. "He's starting to become confused due to blood loss. We must hurry."

Frostbite ushered everyone into the hovercraft and told Iceclaw to step on it. It was looking more and more like the group wasn't getting home as quickly as they thought.

zzz

**FarFrozen. 3:23 PM.**

Everyone sat in the room outside of the infirmary. Even Sam, Tucker, and Valerie weren't allowed in at the time. Sam was staring at her hand, which was still coated in red blood that glittered like gasoline in the light of the cave, a unique trait of Danny's blood. Dash was doing much the same by staring at the bloodstain on the left side of his back and hip, since the blood had run down his side from Danny.

Soon a yeti named Flurry beckoned Sam, Tucker, Valerie, and to the surprise of some, Mr. Lancer, into the other room. Lancer merely told everyone that he had to check on his injured student. The doors closed again with a hollow echo.

"You think Danny'll be alright?" Star asked in worry.

"I mean, uh of course! He'll be fine," Tyson answered before a frown slipped onto his face.

"He has to be."

Everyone looked over at Dash, who was still staring at his bloodied shirt.

Norman grumbled. "Why's that? You not want to find a different favorite punching bag?" The nerd didn't exactly like that cruelty of his own statement, but he needed something or someone to blame since Skulker was long gone.

Surprisingly, Dash didn't answer right away.

"I didn't get to tell him I was sorry."

zzz

**Operation Room. 3:23 PM.**

"He's stable for now. Luckily the shot missed his organs. The laser itself also cauterized some of the damage, but purged a bit of ectoplasm from his bloodstream. We're giving him a transfusion from the stores of his and Danielle's blood we have as well as a bit of diluted ectoplasm. His temperature and blood pressure are returning to normal. His heart rate is at an even fifty heartbeats per minute and his core is pulsing the other fifty beats," Frostbite explained and pointed to a large holographic monitor.

Lancer watched in amazement as Danny's heart beat slowly and his core pulsed right after each beat. "Ghosts have something like a heartbeat?"

Frostbite shook his head. "No. Cores don't normally beat at all. The Great One is very special. Halfas are the only ones who have cores that pulse like that."

Lancer nodded numbly before glancing back down at Danny, who was unconscious on a table. His shirt had been taken off and several bandages were wrapped around his lower torso; an oxygen mask covered his mouth and nose as he breathed peacefully.

"The Great One is very resilient. A shot like this in his ghost form would've healed almost on its own. It's a shame he was unable to switch before he was wounded."

Lancer blinked in surprise. "What?"

Frostbite smiled. "Daniel can survive many grievous injuries while in his ghost form. His healing factor is amplified and active ectoplasm is more vicious than human blood, so it doesn't flow out of a wound as quickly."

"Incredible." Lancer whispered.

Sam was holding Danny's hand while she sat and Tucker and Valerie were nearby. Sam glanced over at Lancer with slight suspicion. "That's another reason not to tell people. Who knows what they'd do to him to figure out how to make people like him. Some nut job could even claim he was the key to immortality or something stupid like that."

Lancer nodded gravely. "Believe me or not, Mrs. Manson, I do understand."

Sam relaxed her shoulders slightly when Valerie rested a hand on her shoulder. The goth turned her attention back to Danny's sleeping form.

"I think it has to be Plasmius…" Tucker murmured.

"Hm?" Valerie asked and Lancer glanced over at the other boy.

"Plasmius you say? He does often send the hunter after Daniel for his own gain…" Frostbite murmured in dissatisfaction.

"But why would Plasmius have Skulker _shoot_ Danny? He could've killed him and Plasmius doesn't want Danny dead," Tucker continued.

Lancer furrowed his brows. "What do you mean Plasmius doesn't want to kill Danny? What else could he want from him?"

Tucker, Sam, and Valerie shared a look before Tucker sighed.

"Plasmius is like Danny, Mr. Lancer. He's a half-ghost and he wants Danny as his own son. Danny of course already has a father who loves him and doesn't want to be a villain of any sort."

"Wait, how many half-ghosts are there!?" Lancer asked in shock.

"Three."

Everyone glanced over and saw Danny was awake and had pulled the mask down around his neck.

"Me, Vlad Masters, and my adopted cousin, who is actually my clone."

"Danny!"

"Dude!"

Lancer started gapping. "The Art of Deception! Our mayor's a ghost and that girl is your clone!?"

"He's a fruitloop."

Lancer just continued to stare at the group of teens before finally shutting his mouth. Danny glanced up at the others. "Don't worry guys. I think we can trust Mr. Lancer."

Sam sighed. "I guess. Glad you're okay, Danny."

Danny smiled before Sam slapped him.

"Ouch! What was that for!?"

"Don't you ever ask me to leave you behind like that again! Especially when it was so obvious that you would've died fully!"

"Well geez I-mmph!" Before Danny could really reply, Sam was kissing him.

Lancer coughed.

Sam pulled away and huffed. "Like I said. I'm glad you're okay."

Danny merely smiled in a slight daze. "Mm-hm."

Tucker whispered to Valerie. "Good thing he lost some blood-OW!" Tucker yelped after Valerie had smacked the back of his head, blushing brilliantly from her boyfriend's statement.

Lancer rolled his eyes and went towards the doors. "I'll go tell the others that Daniel is on the road to recovery." With that he exited the room.

"Here's your shirt, Great One," Frostbite spoke and handed the still stained shirt to Danny as he sat up.

"Thanks for everything again, Frostbite. You think we could stay here the night? I'm afraid it's getting late now and Danny needs to rest a bit more before we leave," Sam asked.

Danny glanced over in slight frustration, but decided to not push it.

"Of course. It would be our pleasure!"

zzz

**FarFrozen. 5:54 PM.**

After a large meal filled with many people happily telling Danny that they had been worried, they all walked towards the other rooms. It was while Team Phantom was leading them towards they're rooms that Dash ran ahead and stopped the entire group.

"Dash, what's wrong?" Danny asked in slight frustration and yet a curious glint was also in his eyes. Dash glanced to his friends and the A-listers walked in front of everyone.

Dash coughed. "We uh have come to a decision and we've decided to tell everyone this now due to recent events." He paused. "We're disbanding the A-listers."

There was complete silence at first, as Lancer and Tetslaff watched silently at the back. Some like Brad rose a brow in surprise and others seemed flat out shocked, while still others seemed skeptical or unconcerned.

Sam finally put her hands and her hips. "Okay, so what?"

This question seemed to completely stump Dash. "Well I mean I guess we were hoping…"

"That we'd all forget?" Norman asked.

Danny glanced at his girlfriend and then Norman.

"Well…" Dash trailed off in slight disappointment.

"We wanted to maybe start over…" Star explained and stepped forward. She looked Valerie in the eye and held out her hand. "Hi, my name is Star Hudson. I love math and sciences and think rodents are really cute."

Valerie blinked in shock at Star before slowly, she held out her hand and shook Star's. She smiled. "I'm Valerie Gray, turns out I'm not bad at ghost hunting and could care less about appearances anymore."

Sam's face lightened a little and Tucker seemed to be in total shock.

Kwan gulped and held his hand out to Norman. "Hey I'm uh, Kwan Han and I love animals and would like to be a vet someday."

Norman didn't hold out his hand though and glanced at the ground. "So we're just suppose to pretend like nothing you guys did never happened?"

Kwan slowly lowered his hand as everyone turned their attention to Norman.

"Norman…" Brandon hummed in worry.

"You should be happy, you little dweeb!" Alroy growled.

Norman snapped his head up and pointed. "See! It's not real! They'll never change, not really!"

Dash growled and took a step forward. "Leave my buddies alone!"

Mikey huffed. "Yeah that always worked for us."

"I'll burry you in the snow, dork!"

"Real mature!"

"People, calm down!"

"You were never involved, invisible to them and us! You didn't do anything and you didn't help either!"

"Yo, cut that out!"

"No I won't!"

ENOUGH!" Danny shouted finally, unintentionally making his voice echo; good thing he could blame it on the caves. "Maybe they're lying, maybe they're just planning on taking it back later, maybe it's too little too late, maybe, maybe, maybe!" Danny growled out and glanced between everyone. He finally calmed a let out a sigh. "The thing is, I believe in second chances and Dash was willing to get shot if it meant he could carry me faster…" Danny glanced up at Dash, who'd calmed down. He held out his hand. "Hi, I'm Danny Fenton. My parents are really weird, my sister likes to psychoanalyze everything I do, I love space and like to sculpt things. In my free time I hunt ghosts that like to hurt people and know more about the history of the Ghost Zone than I do about World History. I'm often clumsy and have put my foot in my mouth more times than I can count. I often tend to ramble when I don't know what to do next."

Dash paused before he smirked slightly and shook his hand. "I'm Dash Baxter. I like football, if it isn't obvious, hanging out with my team, soap operas and lap dogs since larger dogs freak me out."

Soon everyone started to shake hands as if a spell had been broken, even Norman eventually joined reluctantly and was smiling by the end of it. Sam and Paulina also shook even if they weren't exactly comfortable with it.

Lancer was smiling with Tetslaff, happy that they hadn't had to intervene.

Norman's smile then slid of his face before he glanced at Danny, who was shaking Dinah's hand. Once everyone was done, Norman spoke.

"So if we're all trying to be completely honest with each other, I have a question."

Danny looked at the young man, since he was obviously looking at him. "Okay, what?"

"When were you going to tell us you're a Halfa, a half-ghost?"

Brandon gasped and looked at Norman in horror. Everyone but the nerds, minus Brandon, seemed shocked and Danny couldn't seem to pull air into his lungs.

zzz

**Fenton Portal. 1:22 PM. Earlier.**

"Well were you able to wound him enough?" Vlad asked angrily as Skulker floated towards him.

Skulker paused, after seeing his boss hiding behind the Fenton Portal. In all honesty he was starting to wonder about the sanity of his employer to some degree; sure he was in it for the money first off, but he had to wonder.

"Yes, but he escaped into the boarders of the FarFrozen. Frostbite took him to the infirmary no doubt."

"Drats. Did he at least look hungry? tired? infection setting in?"

Skulker eyed his boss carefully. "Why would he be suffering from those?"

"Because he and his classmates have been stumbling through the Ghost Zone without food, water, or doctor in sight since Walker's prison of course! You fool!"

Skulker blinked. "Um, Plasmius… they've stopped periodically at Pandora's, Dora's, Clockwork's, and now Frostbite's domains. They are all allies of the boy's and he's received food, shelter and treatment for any prior wounds Walker gave him long ago. Besides the gunshot wound he now has, which will be healed by at noon tomorrow at the latest, he's perfectly healthy and maybe even has slept more than normal."

Vlad looked like he was about to flip his lid, though Skulker wasn't certain if he already had or not.

"I… I underestimated the amount of allies he has… Curses I always underestimate that rat!"

Skulker noticed that Vlad's hair seemed a tiny bit less than immaculate, his face seemed a bit gaunt, and the man couldn't stop twitching his fingers. They were small things to notice, but it made a difference in the overall picture.

"Skulker, you're dismissed. I'll have to go with Plan B."

Skulker's eyes widened a bit. "You're actually going to risk it?"

"What choice do I have? If I don't succeed, I loose everything regardless. This is my last plan I'll ever make. One way or another."

Skulker merely nodded in silence before he turned to head back to his island. He glanced over his shoulder one last time to see Vlad murmuring to himself and hiding in the small shadow that existed behind the Fenton Portal. The elder Halfa stopped talking to himself and slipped right through the yellow and black striped door.

Skulker looked forward and shook his head. Almost all ghosts felt pity for another who's obsession drove them towards insanity.

zzz

**FarFrozen. 6:07 PM.**

"Where…?" Danny finally breathed out, staring at Norman.

"The prisoners were chanting it when you were almost executed. I didn't know what it meant at first until I asked someone named Aragon about it's meaning," Norman explained.

Danny growled. "And you thought it was a good idea to ask a prisoner in a dark dungeon what Halfa meant?"

"Why would he lie?"

"I don't know, maybe because I put him in that dungeon and he hates me?" Danny asked sarcastically. He turned to continued leading everyone down the hall, trying to end the conversation there, when Norman's voice came back even thought Brandon was trying to nudge him into stopping.

"It would explain everything though. How you know when a ghost is near with that weird breath thing, how you disappear, drop things so much more often than anyone should. Tell the truth, Fenton. Something more happened before freshman year with the portal, didn't it?"

Danny froze mid-step and whipped around to stare at Norman angrily. "Stop right there. You're going too far!" And against Danny's will… his eyes glowed green. Almost immediately, Danny realized his mistake.

"And your eyes glow green…" Norman muttered loud enough for people to hear. "Who are you really, Danny? How do any of us even know your really Danny Fenton anymore?"

Lancer stepped forward before Sam or Tucker could jump in. "That's enough of your silly theories Mr. Allard." The teacher put a hand on Norman's shoulder and tried to move the young man forward but he didn't budge.

"Danny… Fenton… Danny…" Norman muttered under his breath. Everyone was completely silent and tense in the hall. Danny could feel his heart rate spiking. Something inside him just knew it was all over. His best plan at the moment would be to make a duplicate sometime later and hoped they bought it, but he'd shown his eyes… oh why had he shown his eyes!?

Norman rose his head slowly and locked his eyes with Danny's. "Fenton… Why haven't we run into Danny Phantom?"

* * *

**So uh so sorry for the cliff-hanger thing there. It's not quite as cliffhangery as it could be, but it's hard to see that since you don't have the next few sentences available. You'll see... ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF DRAGONBALL Z! Oops wrong fandom and media... nevermind.**

**Answers to Questions:**

**transmetaljohn: However, I have some other questions about Dan I would like your opinion on. In TUE, the Fright Knight is serving Dan. What exactly does the Fright Knight do for Dan? Dan strikes me as a loner. The only things I can come up with would be ego stroking, intimidation, victim round up, and back up. The Fright Knight is a powerful ghost and to have him serve you would mean that you are very powerful which would stroke Dan's ego and also serve to intimidate other ghosts to increase his fearful reputation. The Fright Knight could also serve the role of rounding up victims for Dan to torture for later while he is dealing with foes that require his immediate attention. Another possible reason Dan keeps the Fright Knight around is that in case something happens to him like being captured, he has someone to possibly break him out or serve as a distraction while Dan does that himself.**

**Also since the Fright Knight is serving him, why is Dan not using the Soul Shredder on any victim he could find? Since that sword can send people to a dimension where they experience their worst fear, it sounds like a weapon he would enjoy using. Do you think the reason he does not use the Soul Shredder or any other type of weapon is vanity? Will Dan's ego only allow him to use the powers he already has and nothing else? No ghostly artifact weapons or power boosters or ghost hunter gadgets.**

**NoSignal: I pretty much agree with you're idea of what Fright Knight does for Dan. I also think that the Fright Knight simply serves and in my head he'd be uncaring even if Dan said something like, "I'm going to destroy everything in the world and there will only be clay and rock. Both the world and the zone shall be quiet and empty and then... I will end you last." I think Fright Knight's obsession to serve a lord is that strong and grows stronger if his lord is stronger. As for using the weapons... I can't really speak for the Soul Shredder I honestly don't know where it went, unless it was just destroyed by Dan, for the reasons you stated. I fell like Dan would maybe be vain enough to not use weapons, but I've also made a head-cannon up that Dan was planning or already consumed Pariah's core (making him so freaking powerful) and stole the ring and crown for himself. Though I like to think the crown is hidden in his fire hair (I know it's not because his hair gets put out, but still) and the ring is camouflaged on his hand, maybe the Observants managed to destroy those items while Dan was distracted with consuming Pariah's core. I feel like the second on makes more sense. Though Dan is vain, I've always felt like most of his rage comes form the idea that as Fenton, he didn't feel he was strong enough to protect his family from their deaths or from Vlad or anyone. He was never strong _enough_ so he'd be a bit tempted to take items like the crown, the sword and the ring. Knowing this the Observants destroyed them as a way to prevent him from growing even stronger and then went to Clockwork to demand he destroy the younger Danny.**

**Great: Oh! a crossover huh? Well, Im not exactly a fan of them since I feel that sometimes they're forced to fit together. For example, like Jake Long with Danny Phantom does fit in theme and timeline but Max Steel does not. But from the sneak peeks, it seems interesting. Just one thing, do explain the japanese words in your AN like what is Shugoshin or Hanshin, since most only know the basics(like okaa-san or otou-san) or honorifics?**

**I lament that Pariah is under Manus' control since he'll be a fearsome puppet for the enemy, although how he was taken over leaves me confused. Too many cracks for a ghost or a person, but not for a hybrid or is it more psychological?**

**NoSignal: Yeah I know what you mean. At first I thought I would never like crossovers period, but then I started to read them and got hooked. Don't worry I will explain every term I use that's Japanese. Shugoshin is protective spirit and Hanshin is like Hanyou, a demi-god and half-demon. Demi-god is the closest thing to what Danny is, since he's a good kind of spirit and still alive.**

**It's talking about imperfections in a person or ghost's personality. Danny has the same sort of thing, but due to his half-ghost nature it's hidden (which isn't normal). Hope that helps!**

* * *

**Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc!**

**I hope to keep you all entertained!**

**~NoSignal**


	21. A Class took a Field Trip

**My vacation with my family got in the way a little bit. We're having fun and coming back to our hotel tired each day; at least I wasn't technically late since I gave another half week as leeway because of the camp and vacation. The next chapter will be up two weeks from now. I will inform you whenever I get any buffer chapters and can update faster or if something comes up to alter this schedule.**

**Thanks for your support and patience, enjoy!**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_The loneliest moment in someone__'__s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is stare blankly.__"__ ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby._

zzz

**FarFrozen. 6:08 PM.**

It was completely silent in the hallway as everyone stared at Norman and Danny. Danny was gazing at Norman with a mixture of frustration and slight hurt.

"What would Phantom have to do with this?" Danny asked calmly. The one thing about his secret identity that had helped him get out of so many problems in the past had been quite simple. It was one thing to notice or figure out that Danny Fenton was weird and maybe had some strange leftover effects from being shocked with ectoplasm, but unless one saw Fenton change into Phantom, it was hard for the mind to process the idea of a half-ghost. No matter how similar their names, their faces, their personality, if one looked close enough, it was the idea of a dead teenager and a living teenager being the same person that warded everyone's minds from the truth. The truth was always staring people in the face, but they were unable to fully accept it unless they tried. Lancer had been willing to test his theory and see if it was possible; he'd been intellectually capable as well as emotionally capable to consider the impossible, most everyone else was not.

Norman seemed to realize that problem or had hit that same mental blockade at that moment. "I… I don't know. Something's not right here though. You and Phantom are related somehow." Norman grit his teeth slightly in frustration and indecision. He couldn't even count the amount of emotions going through his head at the moment. "You can't just lead us through here and not tell us what's really going on."

Danny stared right into Norman's eyes and without true malice he spoke, "I can and I will." The Halfa paused for a moment before speaking again, "I'm going to lead you all to your rooms. We're going to sleep and rest. Tomorrow we'll make it home and then we'll go back to our lives. Got it? Good." Danny turned and started walking away. "This way."

Everyone followed in complete silence.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 7:23 AM.**

The next morning the group gathered on the outskirts of the FarFrozen as the yeti ghosts granted them good luck and said farewell. The group excitedly walked on the path that would lead them to the Fenton Portal, the tension from last night temporarily forgotten. Norman was the only one that didn't seem as chipper and had a mixture of confusion, nervousness, and shame bubbling inside of him. He had noticed the hurt on Danny's face last night and wondered how he'd allowed his scientific mind to get so carried away. Danny was his friend, right? Friends normally don't corner each other like he'd done. Even though these were his most prominent thoughts, he still couldn't help but be suspicious. Brandon had told him a couple times that he was sure Danny would forgive him; Danny was too nice of a person not to, but Norman had to wonder that everyone had their limit, if that even was Danny anymore.

It was about an hour later that everyone arrived within a hundred yards of the Portal. Relief and joy were pulsing through the group, even if they were too tired to run the rest of the way.

"Oh Papa will be so worried."

"I'll get to watch my Soap Operas again!"

"Technology, sweet sweet Technology. I was worried I'd start going through withdrawal."

"Clouds, the sky… I can't wait."

"We'll need to clear everything up with the authorities, but at least we made it."

Danny couldn't help but smile at everyone's talking, noticing even Valerie and Sam were somewhat excited to be getting back home, talking about what each girl would do when they made it. It was about five feet from the open portal that he froze. Everyone slowly came to a stop behind him. Dash was actually the first to speak.

"Uh, Danny?"

Danny blinked and then slowly looked over his shoulder.

Star frowned. "What's wrong?"

Danny frowned back at everyone and stared at the door again. "Something's… not right."

"What do you mean?" Freddie asked.

"The door's open."

_And I'm feeling something's not right on the other side. Something's there. I wish I could sense individuals as well as Danielle can. I really need to have her help me with that._ Danny sent mentally to his three friends.

"So?" Brad asked, honestly confused.

"It's almost never just open randomly like this, except if dad's demonstrating for someone and is opening and closing it rapidly."

Kwan hummed. "Maybe they knew we were missing and opened the door for us?" Kwan offered hopefully.

Some nodded at this.

"Well, maybe, but what would give them the idea that we're in the Ghost Zone?" Danny questioned back.

"Don't they blame everything on ghosts, Mr. Fenton? I distinctly remember them chasing me once for that same reason," Lancer offered.

Danny sighed in defeat. "Yeah… I guess I'm just being paranoid. Come on everyone."

And like that, the group walked forward together and slipped through the portal.

zzz

**FentonWorks. 8:29 AM.**

There were only two other times that Danny could remember that had filled him with such a massive sense of dread and fear. The first had been when he'd noticed the pushed button of the Ghost Portal under his hand that fateful day and the other had been when he'd seen his family bound to the Nasty Burger boiler, knowing what was supposed to happen next. It was an awkward and tense silence, even the hostages in front of the group didn't speak.

Before them, Danny's father, mother and two sisters were bound with rope, Dani with the ecto variety due to her powers. Jack had a bruise on his temple and various scrapes and a couple of large gashes, Maddie had a red mark near her throat and left side of her face, Jazz seemed to only be scuffed up slightly, and Dani seemed like she'd gotten the worst of it. It was obvious to Danny that his youngest sister had fought bravely, but ultimately couldn't stand up to her attacker and his experience. The other thing that made his blood run cold was the sight of a green ball of fur laying still in the corner of the room. It was Cujo and he was leaking ectoplasm from a hidden wound of some kind. The dog had fought for his family but ultimately lost.

The thing that confused everyone but a select few was the fact that Vlad Masters was standing in the center of the room, not trying to help his collage friends or their children from what had been obviously some kind of ghost attack. He was merely staring evenly at Danny. Everyone did notice however that Masters looked off. His white hair was still in a ponytail though there were a couple of strands loose, his eyes were ever so slightly bloodshot, and one hand was playing idly with the end of his suit coat as if he had a slight tick.

"Mr. Masters?" Brandon asked nervously.

Vlad didn't even look at the boy and continued to glare at Danny. Danny was still frozen in shock, not looking at Vlad, but meeting the eyes of his loved ones.

"Well then, what now, Daniel?" Vlad finally asked.

Everyone in Danny's group, but the privy glanced at their mayor in confusion. He was asking a younger man what to do about this and there was something about his tone…

Danny clenched his fists and then glared at Vlad only to stop when he finally noticed his archenemy's disheveled appearance. "Vlad? Are… are you okay?"

Vlad flinched slightly as if surprised at Danny's concern, before it faded from his face. "Actually no, my dear boy. I'm not."

Danny narrowed his eyes slightly before they shot open as Vlad's black rings appeared around his waist and transformed him.

"Holy sweat-socks!" Dash shouted, obviously stifling some curse.

"What will you do now, Daniel?" Vlad asked with an eery sense of calm. Oddly enough it was like the calm a normal human got when they were at peace with their inevitable death from one cause or another…

"Vlad." Danny spoke stiffly. "Just leave them out of this."

"The time for that is long over, Daniel. You shouldn't have shown your family your little secret. I have no choice now."

"I probably wouldn't have shown them if you hadn't kidnapped me in the first place!" Danny exclaimed, loosing a bit of his cool. He calmed quickly when Vlad gave him an even darker glare.

"If you'd only listened to me from the start…" Vlad hissed.

Danny took a deep breath. "Vlad, when was the last time you slept?"

Vlad paused as if confused by the question and a bit wary. "I couldn't tell you exactly…"

"Your obsession is starting to make your mind deteriorate, Vlad. If you keep this up, you'll be acting like a babbling child or a mindless beast," Danny spoke calmly and tried to get closer. He almost invisibly eyed a Fenton Thermos that had rolled up underneath a nearby table.

"My obsession? I've always been in control of myself Daniel."

"How do you know? Do you talk with your business parters about your behavior while in ghost form? Did you have a talk with Jazz or a psychologist? What about a secretary? Is there someone you've told your secret to and had long conversations with?" Danny asked with a slightly accusing and sarcastic tone. "How do you know how you're fairing if you've got no one to trust with your deepest secrets? Because if you're basing this on only your own perspective, then I've got news for you…"

Vlad seemed to become incensed at Danny's analysis as well as the possible truth that laid within and practically riding on that anger, Vlad pointed a hand at Jack as ecto-electiriciry started to crackle around it. "Try to undermine your superior again, and someone may suffer for that smart mouth of yours, boy."

Danny froze completely in his inch by inch move towards the thermos. Everyone was holding their breath, too shocked or fearful to say much except to watch Danny and Vlad talk back and forth.

"Careful, son. Don't worry about me." Jack spoke quietly.

Vlad growled and made the electricity crackle more violently. "Shut up you pathetic excuse for a human being!"

Danny tensed his body, trying to make a decision. He needed to be in his ghost form if he had to dive in front of his father and take the hit. In human form he wouldn't be able to manage that electricity nearly as easily if at all. He glanced once over at Sam and she nodded softly.

Suddenly the room was lit was a bright light as Danny's white rings slid over his body and transformed him into Phantom. Norman immediately felt a wash of grief and shame come over him. Of course this would be why he didn't like being grilled. To say that he was the only one suddenly feeling guilty, ashamed and somewhat emotionally charged, would've been a lie.

"Stop, Vlad."

Vlad glanced at Danny.

"No one has to get hurt, Mr. Masters." Valerie added as she walked forward and let her suit form over her body. She aimed two wrist blasters at Plasmius as they whined.

Vlad merely smiled a slow and even more disturbingly calm and passive smile. "Oh but someone always does, Mrs. Gray. That's just how the cruelty of the world works, I'm afraid."

Vlad glared back at Danny and addressed him. "So my opposing white king, with your other rook, bishop, and two knights held hostage, will you send out your remaining queen, rook, and bishop to oppose me? If you do, then you're only avoiding the inevitable checkmate. Shall you spare them from war and topple yourself, Daniel? Even your new pawns behind you shall eventually fall if you don't."

Danny swallowed hard.

"If you aren't too difficult then perhaps we can all get away from this without or secrets being let out, ever. On the other hand, portals do have a tendency of exploding. That would be a horrible tragedy, wouldn't it? Not a single… survivor, except a boy that was visiting his dear uncle Vlad."

Danny clenched his teeth as his eyes started to glow a deep and dark green from Vlad's hidden meaning. He could feel his hot core starting to try and break through, but Danny would not allow himself to loose control again like he had with the GiW before. Slowly his power dissipated to the point that he transformed back into Fenton.

Sam, Tucker, Lancer, and Valerie stood tense as Danny raised his face to look Vlad in the eyes. "Just don't hurt them. I'll go, just leave them out of it."

"Sweetie, don't!" Maddie cried out.

"Danny wait, we can figure something out!" Jazz shouted.

"Don't, Danny!" Dani wailed as tears started to fall down her cheeks.

"Danny?" Sam asked and reached for his hand.

_All of you…_

Everyone except Vlad, stopped themselves from flinching when they thought they heard Danny's voice in their minds.

"_Mr. Fenton?"_ Lancer asked briefly.

_Yeah, it's me. Listen. Vlad's unstable right now. He's let his obsession take control of his mental state, that's why he looks like a wreck._ Danny spoke as he slowly walked towards Vlad. _I need you to trust me. _He could practically feel everyone slowly mentally nod.

It was then that he reached Vlad. Vlad reached out his own hand and Danny went to grasp it, only for the older Halfa to grip his wrist, tightly.

"You've made a very smart choice, Daniel."

Before Danny could reply, ecto-electricity thundered through his body, making him spasm and cry out in pain. He fell to his knees as Vlad continued to hold on and pour more volts into his enemy.

"I heard from a little bird that you learned how to use electricity with your hot core. I'm surprised. You need more tutelage in that department though. I can do a much better job than that Pandora any day! I will mold you into the perfect half-ghost son!" Vlad practically screamed over the Danny's cries of pain.

Danny knew he only had one shot at this. All he could do was to hope for the best and pray that time and fate were on his side. With a burst of power and a cry of excursion, Danny transformed, turned him and Vlad intangible, and pushed them through the house using his telekinesis to speed them up enough to where Vlad hardly knew what had happened. Everyone was safe…

Valerie, immediately glanced at Tucker and Sam before darting up the basement stairs, trying to find the two half-ghosts. Sam, Tucker, and eventually everyone else ran forward to start untying the Fentons. Everyone that had just learned of the half-ghosts were oddly calm and didn't ask many questions for the time being. When Sam cut Danielle free, she screamed in fear, rage, and worry before transforming and darting through the house the same way the other Halfas and Valerie had gone.

"I don't understand…" Dash muttered.

Lester immediately turned to the other Nerds. "I told you guys! Superhero in disguise!"

"Not now, Lester," Mikey stated, more worried about the situation rather than the fact he had been wrong about anything.

"We don't have time to explain now. We need to stop Plasmius before things go horribly wrong," Sam stated urgently.

"Well so long as we beat the Plasmius dude, there shouldn't be a problem, right?" Dash asked with a slightly worried frown.

Tucker grimaced. "We used to believe that too, until the reality gauntlet incident. There was a reality that existed where Danny's secret had been blown on live TV, don't ask, and the Guys in White still hunted him. Those dudes don't care if Danny's half-human, they see him has a ghost and nothing else. Danny, Vlad and Danielle's lives are a stake and Vlad's gone too crazy in the head at present to care it seems."

"Half-human?" Star questioned.

"Not the time to explain, except that Danny is still Danny. He just has another side of him now," Sam stated simply.

Maddie was grabbing up equipment while Jazz had scooped up the whimpering Cujo in her arms. He had a large gapping hole in his side that was trying to close, even if it was slow going.

Jazz rubbed the ghost dog's head. "He almost hit your core you silly thing. You brave and silly dog." Cujo merely whined again before nuzzling Jazz's chest tiredly.

"Hun," Jack started when he saw his wife rummaging through weapons and gear. "Hun?"

"Not now, Jack."

Jack walked over and slowly put his hands on her shoulders finally making her stop. "Mads, we need to think this through. I know I normally don't say that, but Danny-boy had a point about Vlad's obsession. He's… he's…"

"Volatile?" Jazz inputed.

Jack nodded. "Right, what Jazzy-pants said. Vlad might end up hurting Danny really bad if we corner him. Bring what you need but try to take control of your emotions."

"But Jack! He has our baby-boy!" Maddie cried out and turned around to face her husband. "Our sweet boy is fighting outside for our lives and his own. That putrid excuse for a friend is trying to kidnap our son. He even threatened to kill us all, Jack, innocent kids that had nothing to do with this!"

Jack furrowed his brows. "I know, Maddie. Believe me. I know, but just try and think about what I said, okay sweet cakes?"

Maddie deflated at one of Jack's pet names for her. "Okay, honey."

Jack didn't smile like he normally would but he nodded with a hint of relief. "Let's go get'em."

"I couldn't agree with you more, Mr. Fenton." Tucker nodded before grabbing up and Jack-O-Ninetails and slipping it through his belt loop. He then grabbed a wrist ray as Sam nabbed a Bazooka and Jazz snagged the Peeler. Cujo was standing wobbly at first before he stabilized himself and healed the last part of his side, which now had a large light green scar there. He grew to his larger size before growling.

"Good boy," Jazz nodded.

"Wait a sec!" Dash declared. "What about us?"

Sam glanced at them. "What about you?"

"What I believe he means, Ms. Manson, is that we would like to help pay back Daniel for his kindness," Lancer expressed.

"Yeah he's been helping us since like, forever!" Dash nodded, showing that Lancer was spot on.

Everyone else from the school trip nodded as well.

Maddie sighed. "I guess." She looked at Jazz. "Think you can get them the right gadgets for their skill level, Jazz?"

"You got it, mom."

Maddie, Jack, Sam, Tucker, and Cujo then turned and made their way out of the house as Jazz started to retrieve things for the others.

zzz

**Amity Park. 9:45 AM.**

Maddie, Jack, Sam, Tucker, and Cujo ran outside to come across nothing short of a disaster area. People had fled their homes, in fear that the two ghosts' fighting would collapse the buildings with people inside; however, they all were mostly hiding in the alleyways and worriedly watching as Danny Phantom and the vampire ghost, which was yet another name that the people of Amity Park generally referred to Vlad as, fought viciously. Even Sam and Tucker were surprised at how hard both Halfas were fighting. Valerie and Dani were trying to get in between them and help, but Valerie was afraid of hitting Danny and Dani wasn't sure if she could time her shots right. Danny and Vlad were in close quarters, trading punches, blasts and elemental moves, mostly countering each other at the same time. Danny would roar in effort with each throw and Vlad was snarling. Danny managed to take a dive and swing up behind Vlad to deliver a powerful punch the sent Vlad crashing into the ground to create a small crater. Vlad attempted to retaliate only to be zapped in the back by Jack's bazooka. The elder Fenton had a dangerous look in his eyes as his old collage buddy turned to glare at him, while letting smoke lift from his back. The crazed man didn't seem to notice or care that his once love was nearby when he went to toss a large arc of electricity at Jack; said electricity would easily harm Sam, Tucker, Jack, Maddie, and many other pedestrians at the same time. Knowing this, Danny soared towards them and planted his feet on the ground in time to get a large shield up. Danny strained against the shield as Jazz and the others jogged out; most of them ended up freezing in slight awe and fear however.

It was when Vlad got tired of Valerie zapping him with quick stun shots, that things went from bad to much worse. Vlad roared as he continued to fire his electricity at Danny's shield, trying to weaken the younger half-ghost. "I've had enough!" Vlad glared over his shoulder at the Huntress. "Shut down protocol N4GH2. Second command: 012046982637!"

Valerie froze in midair as her suit went back into her against her will; she then started to plummet, unconsciously, to the ground. Dani screamed and raced to catch her before gently placing her on the ground. Cujo suddenly ran towards the two and stood in front of them since they were outside Danny's shield.

"What did you do!?" Danny yelled.

"Your second rook has been executed, Daniel. How many more should go?" Vlad said calmly.

Danny felt the air leave his lungs as a strangled cry from Tucker, behind him only added to his guilt. Said techno-geek raced over to get behind Cujo and see Valerie.

"Vlad." Danny suddenly growled.

"Your anger will do nothing but cause more death, Daniel."

Danny cried out suddenly when Vlad cracked Danny's shield, using a hammer-shaped ectoplasm construct. Before Vlad could swing at his rival, Danny let out a Wail, unable to warn everyone. Most everyone fell to their knees in pain from the sudden onset of the loud sound waves, while Vlad was flung against a nearby building. The waves continued for a while until Vlad Plasmius became Vlad Masters.

It wasn't until after the attack was done though that the crowd truly got a hint at what had happened. Their mayor, was a ghost.

Danny gave a quick glance to Sam and his mom telling them mentally to check on Valerie, Tucker, Dani, and Cujo while he would deal with Vlad. He also asked the others to stay back through his telepathy so that they wouldn't get struck with ecto-electricity if Vlad wasn't done.

Danny cautiously walked towards the seemingly unconscious Vlad, while he heard the sounds of police cars, and ambulances pulling up and Tucker and Sam having some sort of heated and emotional argument.

Vlad actually seemed to be down, but Danny's luck was never that simple. A couple of policemen practically made it to the half-ghost in a few strides before anyone, who'd been watching, could warn them to stay away.

Vlad's eyes opened, showing them to be fully red, even in human form. He growled before sticking his hand towards the officers and firing a blast of ecto-fire, more than hot enough to kill or seriously maim them.

"No!" Danny shouted before running over and pushing them aside roughly, just in time for the fire to rush over him and of course, unluckily enough for him, he'd been using his cold core at the time, so the fire wasn't absorbed, but hurt him, pretty badly. Before Danny could begin to register the pain, something that felt like a train, slammed into him bodily and he struck the ground, feeling his air rush out of his lungs. Then all he knew after that was the feeling of thousands of volts of Vlad's most potent ecto-electricity coursing through him.

"Danny!" Sam cried out, instinctively when she saw Vlad practically tackle her boyfriend and then start to electrocute him. She had no idea how much electricity Danny could handle or hope to redirect. Most likely not too much seeing as he just recently learned how and had only done it once. After Vlad was done, the horrible inevitability followed. The white rings of light around Danny's, now unconscious form, appeared and changed him from Phantom to Fenton. Everyone grew dead silent, the blue, white and red lights from the emergency vehicles washing over them all eerily.

Everyone was completely surprised when Maddie stood up from where she'd been squatting on the ground next to the unconscious Valerie. The huntress had seemingly looked dead, but was in fact breathing barely. Dani had helped guide a couple of paramedics over and they were quietly trying to get her away, while still warily watching the scene before everyone, unfold.

"Vlad, stop. Take me instead."

Vlad glanced over at Maddie as Danny's limp form dangled from Vlad's clenched left hand. She knew he had been pining after her for a while and if she remembered correctly, then Danny had said that she was a part of his obsession. Perhaps he would be willing to trade, if she went willingly. Jack didn't speak, knowing the unspoken understanding between the married couple that their children came before each other.

Maddie felt dread settle in her stomach, when Vlad growled. "You think me a fool? I heard you Madeline. You called me a monster in front of you precious son. A monster. Did it ever occur to you that those words might have hurt your son's feelings? If I'm a monster…" Vlad paused. "Then what is Danny?"

"A Hero."

Vlad whipped his head around to see Jazz staring at him defiantly in front of the Fenton home. Vlad then laughed. "A Hero? Dear Jasmine, in real life there are no such things as heroes. They are an ideal and at the very least merely drones like police officers or fire fighters. The kind of hero you're implying is only possible in a fantasy world where people are trusting of mutated freaks and beings with world destroying power. Do you honestly believe that humankind could ever put their faith in monsters they'd have to trust? Well miss psychology major?"

Jazz frowned. "Maybe, but I'm not comparing Danny to comic book characters, because he isn't like them-"

Vlad interrupted her. "The real truth of the matter is that only I can make him feel safe. No one else! Not even that mistake of a daughter of mine could!"

Dani flinched as if struck before Jazz shouted.

"That's the problem though, Vlad! You keep saying that you know what's best for Danny because you and he are so much alike!" Jazz spoke, using a bit of sarcasm. "But what you fail to accept is that Danny is **nothing** like you! He may be a Halfa, but in every other part of his psyche, you two couldn't be less alike! You used your power to gain control over people and use them. Danny used his power to try and protect people even when they called him a liar and a menace! And the most important part was that Danny was never alone, but you ARE!" Jazz's eyes widened slightly at the end of her sentence and did even more so when she noticed the slight, almost invisible, change of posture in Vlad's stance.

"Well… I guess that won't be a problem anymore, will it?" Vlad said simply before hoisting Danny onto his shoulder. Maddie let out a cry of horror and Jack dashed forward right before they saw their son and their enemy disappear in a cloud of pink mist.

Immediately Maddie hugged Jack, burying her face in his large chest as he held her close and let her cry. Sam stood numbly for a moment and Dani started to tear up, before smashing her hands into her eyes to hide her tears. Lancer grew concerned, as well as some of the other students, when Jazz fell to her knees.

"Ms. Fenton?"

Jazz started to hold her thighs, watching her nails bite into her clothing. "I was so stupid. How could I have slipped up like that?"

"What do you mean?" Melanie asked softly.

"I said a trigger phrase of his. It had to have been. It makes since and the way his posture changed… How could I have been so careless?"

Jazz flinched when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up to see Sam looking at her. "We can't focus on what's done right now. People are going to start asking questions, my parents are going to kill me, Valerie is heading to the hospital with who knows what Vlad did to her, Tucker's emotionally freaking out and we have no clue where Vlad has taken Danny."

"You don't think…?"

"He had to have started to head far away. Thing is we don't know how many houses and secret buildings he owns. We only know of three and one is just a plot of land where his old Wisconsin Mansion used to be."

"Four."

Sam, Maddie, Jack, Jazz, and the other turned to see Tucker watching Valerie taken away emotionlessly. "I'd been looking through his computer files recently because I knew Danny had been getting more paranoid about when something like this would happen. There's a forth location in Montana. If we thought Colorado was out in the middle of nowhere, then this is like seriously out in the middle of nowhere."

"Excuse me."

They turned to see a few police officers.

Maddie sighed. "I guess the police would like an explanation first…"

The officer talking to them, nodded, while the other one with him, one of the ones Danny had saved, merely stared at the ground, distractedly. The other officer talked again.

"Yes, we had gotten reports from the Arkansan Police Department that this group of high schoolers and their two teachers were missing and then we suddenly see two people turn from ghosts to humans or something. We'll need you all to come with us. We'll also contact your parents so they can come and pick you up after we're done." The officer looked at Maddie and Jack. "And depending on what my supervisor tells me about what just happened with your supposed son-"

"He is our son." Jack stated simply.

The officer closed his eyes. "Then we might be able to start the investigation on his kidnapping… unless the GiW take over."

"You can't do that!" Jazz shouted suddenly. "Those people will hurt him!"

The other officer that had been quiet looked up in slight worry before his comrade spoke with a sad expression on his face. "I'm afraid that's not my call, ma'am, I'm sorry."

As this was happening and everyone at the scene was organized and told to go home or come to the police station, Dani and Cujo ran down an alley and disappeared from prying eyes.

zzz

**Baxter residence. 2:34 PM.**

The questioning had been totally exhausting in Dash's opinion and even coming home with his parents had been more troublesome than he'd hoped before everything had fallen through. Luckily the police hadn't asked him or the other kids about Danny being Phantom, mostly they focused on why they had gone missing.

His parents had done the typical "Are you okay?" "Nothing hurt you, right?" and his father even threw in the predictable, "You didn't get injured too badly, right?" Dash knew he was wondering about whether or not his son could still play football. In all honesty though, Dash did like his parents even if they felt a bit distant. His mom eventually got around to asking him what he was thinking when he had taken one of those ghost weapons to use and after that she'd started passive aggressively suggesting that everything was all the Fenton's fault and Danny's.

It was after she'd started into that territory that Dash stopped listening and his parents figured he just needed to decompress after such a frightening experience, which the jock was happy for. It gave him time to think.

He should be happy to be getting home and putting things behind him. None of this was really his problem, but then again…

Danny had been kidnapped. The loser, the dork, the kid that everyone had thought would never amount to much had been secretly risking everything to make sure they could live safely. Guilt was nagging at Dash even after he'd gone through the whole process of trying to make amends in the Ghost Zone with Fenton and the other students. All the times he'd laughed at Danny for sleeping in class, his peer had been exhausted from fighting the night before. All the punches he'd thrown, he'd taken them without much more than a peep. Somehow the kid was dead and alive or half-alive or… He still wasn't sure how that worked. But, For once in his life Dash didn't really know what to do; Dash Baxter didn't have a game plan.

The only thing Dash did know was that Danny Fenton/Phantom had taught him what true strength was and he now knew that he was never as strong as he thought he'd been.

zzz

**Sanchez residence. 2:44 PM.**

Her Papa had immediately held her tight to him and it had taken several minutes before he'd let go so that they could get into the car with her Madre. When they had finally gotten home and talked about everything that had happened, Paulina was more than relieved to make it to her room and lay down on her bed.

However, the ex-A-lister was troubled. Both at the idea that someone she knew had been kidnapped and that she'd been in love with a name and not a person. A sort of sad realization came to her that Danny must've felt very confused for a while. She'd loved Phantom and not Fenton and the funniest thing was that she'd really liked Fenton and had never known it, even before her attempts to steal him earlier that school year. Phantom was brave, kind, self-sacrificing, a little silly and handsome and she'd been blind to the fact that Fenton was all those things, just because of a change of colors and a levitation act.

Paulina sighed before placing her hand over her eyes. There was also the strange thing that was Valerie. Had she been the Red Huntress all this time? She'd even attacked Danny until recently. Had she not known? What about when she and Danny had had a thing going there for a while? Had they both been oblivious to the irony?

She wanted to cry in frustration because at how complicated things had gotten so very suddenly. She felt utterly useless and she was certainly not used to that feeling. So with that, she closed her eyes and before she knew it, she was asleep.

zzz

**Hudson residence. 2:56 PM.**

Unlike many, Star had indeed immediately noticed the strangeness of the little mini-female Danny. It didn't take much for Star to actually figure out that she had to be the little girl that the Fentons had adopted not long ago. She'd seen the youngest honorary Fenton walking about the school before; she and her own friends often sat at Danny's table with his friends. Valerie seemed to know her well enough and the young girl seemed hurt by an off comment the mayor had made, something about her being his daughter?

Star slid into her chair after taking a shower and putting on her glasses in place of her contacts. She pulled out her diary from her bedside table and started to write everything down that she was feeling as well as her experience. She snapped her book closed and frowned as she glanced out the window. Both the teachers had been very quiet, especially Mr. Lancer. Brandon and Norman had seemed flat out depressed and everyone else was quiet solemn.

Star couldn't help but wonder what she could do to help Danny and the others. She'd known for a long time that Danny and his friends were good people; she was pretty sure she and Kwan had accepted that long ago and only recently had they publicly supported the idea now that the A-listers were disbanded. Star was ashamed of herself for not doing something sooner and that pushed her even more to wonder what she could do. Danny didn't deserve to end up in Vlad's clutches only to be hunted by those government goons should he come back safe. Star hummed to herself before she opened her computer and opened up two windows.

A Search Engine search for: Federal Anti-Ecto Control Act, Article 1, Section 1, Sub-section A and her email. She sent a quick email to her older brother who was in law school at present. He'd already called the house to see if she was okay when he'd seen the news and thought she was missing, but this inquiry, she wanted to be kept between the two of them.

_David?_

_Hey it's me. What do you know about Federal Anti-Ecto Control Act, Article 1, Section 1, Sub-section A?_

zzz

**Han residence. 3:12 PM.**

Kwan stared blankly out of his window at home and listened to his parents murmuring about him and the Fentons downstairs. He felt twitchy and unsatisfied with sitting still at the moment, but there was nothing left to do, right?

_Ping!_

Kwan rose a brow and flipped open the computer on his work desk. It was an email from Star.

_Guys, I was wondering…_

zzz

**Amity Park Miracle Hospital. 4:32 PM.**

"So they found some kind of nano machines in her blood?" Sam asked slowly.

"Yeah. They've made it to where they won't do anymore damage, but they aren't sure how to get them out of her system safely and until then she'll stay in a coma," Tucker replied quietly.

Sam and Tucker were at the hospital at the time being. It had taken some real begging to let them leave the questioning and only Valerie's critical state had let them out. Sam had gone with Tucker and his parents to check on Valerie as well as escape her parents before they had come to the police station. At the present, Sam was trying everything to avoid seeing them or talking to them. She could only hope that her Grandma would majorly have her back later.

At present, Tucker's parents were eating quietly in the hospital's cafeteria and Valerie's dad was with his daughter, not speaking much. Tucker and Sam had snuck off a bit to talk as privately as they could.

"I thought Technus had made Valerie's new suit?" Sam questioned.

"He must've still used the little bit of technology that _was_ in the old suit from Vlad to 'upgrade it' so to speak. Vlad must've had some way to know his nanobot things were still active in her." Tucker grit his teeth and looked down at his PDA, Debbie. He'd plucked her out of the car door pocket on the way over to the hospital. "I should've scanned her."

Sam gripped Tucker's shoulder and shook him slightly. "Don't do that. You sound like Danny."

Tucker smiled only briefly before they both lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. The absence of their friend was palpable. Tucker looked up at Sam with seriousness. "Is it okay if I stay here? I want to help Danny, but I fell like I won't be much help after I show you guys where Vlad's secret house is. I also need to try and hack the nanobots in Valerie's blood-"

Sam snorted but then smiled. "I think that's a good idea. Valerie needs you and Danny needs me."

Tucker stared at her for a second before Sam glared.

"What?!"

Tucker just shook his head. "Never thought I hear you say something like that."

Sam sighed and rolled her eyes, only for them to notice the news on a hallway TV. Tucker noticed too and watched too as the reporters showed video of Vlad and Danny transforming.

"I love media of all sorts, but I wish they wouldn't treat Danny like an attraction," Tucker grumbled.

"It's only going to get worse."

Tucker suddenly laughed and Sam looked at him weirdly again.

"There we go. We needed some cynicism to come out of your mouth."

Sam cuffed the back of her friend's head. "Whatever. I've got to find a place to call Jazz. I'm thinking it's going to be the Fentons and me going for Danny, if the police will ever let them out…"

"I can't believe they think they abused Danny in some way," Tucker huffed.

"At least they don't have much evidence and Jazz is totally backing them up in only the way she can."

Tucker nodded before he furrowed his brows. "Do you know where Dani and Cujo went?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm sure they're fine. At least I hope so."

Sam felt a weight on her shoulder and saw Tucker was patting it. "Go get Danny back, okay?"

Sam nodded. "I won't come back without him."

Tucker realized just how much hidden meaning was in that sentence, before he watched Sam jog away.

zzz

**Somewhere in Montana. 6:44 PM.**

He could feel the magnetic pull like feeling of ecto-cuffs holding his arms together behind his back as well as keeping his ankles together. He also was aware of the ecto-gag on his mouth, wavering a bit here and there but never leaving his lower face. He idly wondered if that was how Dan had learned to use ectoplasm constructs so masterfully and efficiently; was it by absorbing Vlad?

Covers were draped over his sore body and he was somewhat glad he was in a large fluffy bed instead of a cold hard floor someplace.

The door of the large and decorative room, which screamed Vlad, opened to reveal the silhouette of Vlad himself standing there.

"I hope you have a good sleep, Daniel. I too will be getting some rest."

Danny of course was too tired and gagged to respond.

"Tomorrow we'll get started and by the end of it, you'll be happy with me here."

The man with the slowly deteriorating mind paused before he spoke again. "Goodnight, son."

The door then closed and darkness was all Danny could see. At first he drowsily considered trying all night to escape, but realized bitterly that the odds of that working out for the best was almost nothing. So with a troubled mind, Danny let his tired body drag him into a deep sleep.

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 7:00 PM.**

"Will you tell me why for the love of the Infinite Realms, you keep humming to yourself?!" Dan roared after hearing Clockwork hum in thought for was seemed like the hundredth time that evening.

"Unfortunately, I can't tell you. I'm merely curious as to what will happen next."

"You act like watching history and the future are entertaining or something." The trapped ghost grumbled.

"I suppose. Then again, I don't have much else to entertain myself with besides reading from my library. Would you rather hear pages flipping?"

Dan snarled in aggravation. "Whatever."

It was quiet for a long time before suddenly, Dan felt something odd. The thermos was being lifted from the pedestal. Dan begrudgingly felt a spike of fear and excitement. Why would the thermos be lifted? There was a blinding flash of light and then he blinked several times, noticing that he could see the inside of Clockwork's lair for some reason and not the wiring of the thermos. He stood dumbly for a few moments before it hit him like a sack of bricks. He was free.

Without even really asking why or seeing how, Dan shot through the wall and started to soar very quickly out into the Ghost Zone. After a minute, he stopped and looked all around. A eager and nasty grin crossed his face. He could destroy things again and find some of his old enemies to torment. Maybe that Malus guy that Clockwork had been yakking about to Danny would make for an actual challenge for him…

He started to fly off before he paused and slowly he felt a strange feeling over come him. He hated it and it made him absolutely furious.

Indifference.

He found himself slowly becoming a bit disinterested in the idea of going to destroy something or torment someone at the time being. He sort of felt tired or at least drained. He let his eyelids slide halfway over his eyes as he worked to absorb the ecto-energy in the air around him. His red irises glowed fiercely. He finished and felt that had helped if not as much as he would've liked. A part of him thought it would be a better idea to practice somewhere isolated with his powers. He might be a tad rusty from being trapped for so long.

First thing was first though. He _was_ actually a little confused as to how and why he'd been released. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Clockwork's tower. He had the slight concern that Clockwork would try to trap him again, but he flew towards the tower anyway.

He passed through the ceiling and landed on one of the bannisters above the main room in a squat. Clockwork was looking up at him blankly.

Dan narrowed his eyes. "Did you release me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I don't feel you are a threat anymore. However, I'm still your guardian and so if you can think of no place to stay for the time being. I have a room for you."

Dan snarled, barring his teeth and letting his tongue and hair flicker wildly. "What!? No longer a threat!?"

"It was not meant as an insult. I assure you."

Dan was quiet after that. Then he snorted. "Fine. If you wanna be a nutcase and keep me here for a while, be my guest. I'm going to train after I rest. Then once I feel back into the swing of things… I'm going to earth to kill some people I thoroughly dislike."

Clockwork didn't say anything as he started to walk away. Dan snorted in slight offense from being ignored before floating down and following the older specter. He found himself in front of a small door. When it opened, there was a large bed, a bedside table with a lamp, and a single hard suitcase in the far corner, everything a ghost actually cared much for.

"You ever think of hiring a cleaning lady, Cuckoo-for-brains?" Dan grumbled.

Clockwork smiled which surprised Dan. "I suppose it never occurred to me, but if you wish to clean it. Be my guest. I'll be outside in the main room like always if you need me."

"As if."

Clockwork then placed the dented thermos on Dan's table before quietly walking out and shutting the door.

Dan looked at the thermos for a moment before grumbling and walking over to the bed. He focused and two black rings transformed him into a somewhat more human version of himself. Truly the only human form he could completely copy perfectly was what his human form had looked like before he'd died. Though he was able to change his age as a psuedo-human, when not in his fifteen year old self, the two things that remained were his red eyes and his large canines. Dan huffed looking at his clothing in this false form and willed his black boots and jeans to disappear. He then rested under the covers in his black shirt and boxers for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

He opted to try and go into a sleep trance so he could train later. Turning on his side, his eyes once more locked onto the thermos and he was face to face with well… his face. It was the first dent he'd ever made in the thermos. His completely rage filled face was permanently printed in the metal, showing him practically snarling.

And for some reason as he slipped into a trance, he had felt slightly disturbed while looking at himself on that thermos.

* * *

**Eh? Eh? So what did you guys think?**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**Great: This is a good chapter, but why is Norman verbally attacking Danny? I mean, I know they were being friends but shouldn't he know that it is a secret too private to tell? And why is he angry?**

**NoSignal: Norman is someone who really doesn't like to be out of the loop. I may explain a bit more about why he's such a suspicious person later, I hope at least in this chapter you could see he was remorseful. :)**

**AlienGhostWizard14: Will any villains, besides the man redeemed, of Danny's become future allies, like Skulker or Technus?**

**NoSignal: Maybe you'll have to see. I don't want to spoil anything :D**

**NicolethDragones: If You Were To Do A MLP Fanfic With Dalek Saxon,Will It Be Good?**

**NoSignal: Um, I'm not really a MLP fan, not one of the fandoms I'm into and I don't know who Dalek Saxon is... Anyways that probably won't be happening. Thanks for your support though.**

**Nosignal to , Angstphilosophy, Anonymous and Guest: Thanks so much for your reviews and support! And welcome as new readers.**

**Also, Angstphilosophy: P.S. guess we won't have to worry about getting (or lacking) Danny Phantom-related material from you, won't we? Not even after this particular one ends?**

**NoSignal: Nope. I'm currently working on a Danny Phantom x Inuyasha crossover after I'm done with my pokemon story and this one. Then I'm planning on doing a DPxTeenTitans and DPxYoungJustice crosssover in the future with maybe a Secret Trio crossover too. I like DP if you haven't guessed, and pokemon and legend of zelda. :P**

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**Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc!**

**I hope to keep you all entertained!**

**~NoSignal**


	22. Somewhere in Montana

Sorry for being a day late everyone!

*Note: I have a question for my Phantom phans. Once Pondus Ominum is done and during the time I'm uploading Humanity (my soon to be InuyashaxDanny Phantom crossover) what crossover would you guys like me to do next? I have a Danny Phantom x Teen Titans crossover in the works (brainstorming), a Danny Phantom x Young Justice story too (also brainstorming), and Secret Trio (and you guessed it, brainstorming). So which of those three do you want to see from me? Either **review** (if you're a guest), or preferably make your selection on the **poll**. I need at a decent amount of you to vote or I'll choose which story I want to write more, myself. So speak up my readers, even if you're typically quiet, which I understand, speak up this once! I want to be able to take you guys' desires into account.

**That moment when you realize that Clockwork didn't kill Danny in TUE because he foresaw the Disasteroid that would come and knew only Danny could bridge the two worlds together so that everyone could be saved.

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The next chapter will be out in two weeks. :)

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zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"Intriguing isn't it? One day you are the king of your world. And the next day, you stand aside, watching it all burn. Ashes slipping out of your hand, you just stand and stare, your glassy gaze fixed on something no one else could see, no one else could know…" ~ Aleena Yasin.

zzz

**Outside Amity Park. 6:03 PM.**

It was all over. Everything had fallen through. Just when she was starting to think things would be okay, that she could have friends who liked her and a normal-ish life, it was practically all pulled out from under her by the very person who once called her daughter.

She'd hidden in the woods outside of Amity for a while with Cujo, who'd merely sat with her loyally. Dani Fenton was at a real cross-roads. Because the truth of the matter was she had no connections. That was the one good thing about being a clone. She could disappear and no one would ever know if she was careful enough. She didn't exist. In order to save herself though, she'd have to sacrifice the very happiness and wellbeing of the people who'd given her a home for the last three or so months. Danny had risked a lot for her in the past, even his own life.

"Cujo… I don't know what to do. Why did Vlad have to be such a… such a… Fruit-loop!"

"Woof-woof."

Dani sighed again, resting her back against the truck she was near. Cujo snuggled into her side and whined.

"Even if I try to save Danny… the whole world knows about him now and it will only be a matter of time before they know about me." Dani clenched her fists in fear. "The Guys in White will come and we'll be wanted."

Dani pulled her head down into her knees and grabbed her black hair in her hands. "Everyone we care about will be thought of as criminals for helping a ghost."

Cujo whined again and tried to lick Dani's hand.

Dani groaned in frustration and worry. "What's the point of it all. I almost feel like just giving up. It's like the whole world is against us!"

Cujo perked up and cocked his head.

"You aren't helping…" Dani deadpanned. She then glanced down at her hands as a little ectoplasm sparked to life in them. "What do I do? Danny… I need Danny… I need to save Danny."

With that revelation she knew she had grown very attached to her origin and to her brother. She knew she couldn't live without him nearby. The faces of her new family and friends flashed through her mind and she stood up before transforming.

"We Fentons stick together… no man or woman left behind," Dani murmured, repeating Jack's words. Cujo barked and got up, wagging his little tail. "There's a chance this won't end well, but that's never stopped a Fenton before. Let's go save Danny, Cujo."

Cujo jumped into the air after Dani, flying high into the sky and hiding in the clouds. Dani wasn't sure how she would find her brother, but checking some of Vlad's old haunts could be useful. There had to be something somewhere to point her to Danny.

zzz

**Police Station in Amity Park. 7:34 PM.**

The policeman sighed deeply and looked evenly at the fiery-haired girl in front of him. "Are you positive that's what happened? You aren't a part of this too, are you?"

Jazz had been expecting a lot of different kinds of questions, but that one threw her for a loop. "Me? I would never hurt Danny! I've told you once and I'll tell you again. It was all an accident. Danny disobeyed his parents and checked out the portal. He was shocked with Ectoplasm and became half-ghost which is really just a another way of saying his genes were altered somewhat. My parents and I had nothing to do with his change. They didn't perform experiments on their son."

"What about that little girl?"

Jazz swallowed slightly. "Look. She wasn't my parents doing. That was all Vlad. If you're looking for someone who'd pass for an abuser, go look for him. That's all and there is nothing more for me to say." Jazz sighed. "I want a lawyer."

The policeman let out a disappointed sigh at Jazz lawyering up, but nodded. "Alright then, your parents have done the same thing. We don't actually have any proof of you doing anything illegal so you're all free to go."

Jazz sighed and got up, but not before the policemen finished. "For now."

The young adult hurriedly made it out of the room and found her parents waiting for her. The remaining Fentons shared a big hug.

"They weren't too pushy, were they Jazz?" Maddie asked worriedly.

Jazz shook her head. "No. It isn't over yet and I'm mostly more concerned about Danny's rights under the law rather than ours at the moment."

Jack furrowed his brows as they walked towards the door. "But Danny's still Danny. How would he not have any rights?"

Jazz shook her head. "When the government passed the Anti-ecto law, they had no idea there was such a thing as a half-ghost. It's an easy loop-hole in the words because of lack of foresight. Danny is an entity that requires ectoplasm. It's not to the extreme that normal ghosts do, but its enough in the eyes of that law. The GiW could easily come and take him if they see him as a threat to society or even the nation for that matter. By the time people could possibly vote to change the law, it would be too late for Danny."

Maddie rested a fist against her head in worry and anxiety. "This is a disaster."

Jack couldn't think of anything to say and he was further rendered speechless when the three opened the door and were bombard by a variety of reporters.

"Did you experiment on your son?"

"Was Daniel Fenton meant to become a weapon of mass destruction?"

"Is he in fact dead or still living?"

"Is it true that he's been going to Casper High while still being a hybrid creature?"

"If the government is willing to pay you for taking your property, as compensation, what amount are you prepared to take?"

It was the last question that turned Jack's face red. "Excuse me?"

Maddie froze and Jazz looked at her father in slight confusion when he spoke more quietly than she'd ever heard him.

The reporters grew silent when Jack spoke, hoping to get a statement.

"Danny-boy isn't our property. He isn't an experiment. He is our son. My wife gave birth to him, we changed his diapers, taught him how to walk and talk. He is my boy. If I had known that ghost hunting would've led to this, then I would've given it up a long time ago." Jack then looked up and almost glared at the people there. "Don't you ever talk about my son like he doesn't have a say. I know his laughter, I know his favorite food and I gave him an astrology book when he was five years old because he loved the stars." Jack then slowly tried to calm himself and his voice rose a bit. "I hope that's a good enough statement for you, you vultures. Come on Mads, Jazzy." Jack then placed a hand on each shoulder of his wife and girl and moved them through the crowd and towards their RV.

After they'd gotten in the RV, Maddie spoke, "Jack, you really kept your cool back there, honey."

Jack smiled a bit. "They sure got me mad. I can't remember the last time I talked so softly. It doesn't matter though. We've got to go find Danny."

Jazz frowned in worry. "You do realize that crossing state lines while we're suspected of harming Danny will be super suspicious if not illegal, right? I'm not saying forget about Danny, but…"

"We can't just abandon Danny though…" Maddie puzzled.

"How about this?"

Jack almost slammed on the breaks when a new voice popped into their conversation, but managed to only nick one fire hydrant before evening out.

Jazz's eyes widened when she saw who'd stowed along. "Sam!?"

Sam frowned. "You were expecting someone else? Look, what if only half of us go? I'm not wanted for anything, yet."

Maddie frowned and then nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea. I think Sam and I should go and find Danny."

Jack whined. "But Maddie, I can't let you go and face Vlad alone."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Sam asked and Jazz rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Jack, honey, Vlad may be less likely to attack me. I still think I'm a part of his obsession. If you go, he'll definitely try and kill you."

Jazz nodded. "I'll stay with Dad since well, I'm not very good at fighting yet, minus the Fenton Peeler."

"Two out of three people staying in state for their future trial is pretty good." Sam furrowed her brows. "Besides I'll find someway to pay for an amazing lawyer for you all. He's already researching everything about the Anti-ecto act and this will be a piece of cake in comparison."

"Oh Sam, I'm not sure your parents would-" Maddie started.

"They won't, but Grandma will. The fortune is still in her name, not my father's, yet. That's why I can buy all those random things without my parents' permission."

"I knew you were a good kid, Sam!" Jack bellowed.

Sam smiled. "Well I actually kinda like you people and Danny's sorta my boyfriend, who I love, so yeah not a hard decision."

"I have a question." Jazz stated.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you in our RV in the first place?"

Sam smirked. "I was still hiding from my parents. You think they would search near this thing?"

"Good point."

The RV finally came to a stop in front of Fentonworks. The family and Sam sadly noticed that a few windows had been broken with rocks no doubt.

"It's a good thing we have a great security system by yours truly," Jack expressed.

Maddie told Sam to stay while Jack, Jazz and she went inside to gather a few weapons the two girls would need. While she was waiting, Sam noticed a familiar figure sitting on her scooter near an alley-way. Sam looked around and saw the street was practically deserted before running over to Ida.

"Grandma, what are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you. I knew you wouldn't want to see your parents at the present. You know they're only worried about you, Sammy."

"Yeah, I know, but I have to help Danny first. They can punish me in practically any way they like, but they won't stop me from helping him," Sam replied firmly.

Ida sighed and reached up to her ponytail before pulling out the fix. "You sound so much like me. I knew from the start that you loved that Fenton boy. He's a good kid, smart, kind… and not a bad looker either."

Sam flushed. "Grandma!"

"Just calling them like I see them sweetie. Here." Ida reached up and pulled Sam's hair fix out carefully before pulling her hair back up with hers. It was green like Sam's, but it had tiny strings of color braided near the middle. "I made that when I first fell in love with your grandfather. Keep it with you."

Sam touched the fix tenderly with one hand. "Grandma…"

"Don't waste time, dear. Go find him. He needs you as much as you need him. That's true love."

Sam leaned down a gave her grandma a quick kiss on her forehead. "אני אוהב אותך סבתא. תודה." ("I love you grandma. Thank you.").

Sam then turned and ran off to get back in the RV before Maddie came back and she was missed. As she ran, Ida sat quietly in her scooter with a small frown on her face. "I hope your story ends happily, bubleh. With all my heart, I hope and pray."

zzz

**Somewhere in Montana. 8:09 AM.**

The next time his eyes opened, he was sitting at a table. His body felt just as heavy as the night before and he was certain that didn't make sense. He should've felt fine by now, but his body felt sluggish and he was pretty sure the world wasn't supposed to blur every so often. He thought his eyes crossed once before he noticed three Vlads sitting across the table from him, eating something. Danny couldn't tell if he was seeing things or Vlad was playing with his duplicates, until he spoke and all the Vlads' mouths were in perfect sync.

"Good morning, son. You should try the omelette. It's not as good as Fredrick's but most of my staff seem to be missing for some reason."

Why was Vlad talking so casually? Danny glanced down at the table and saw that there was indeed food in front of him. He tried to move but noticed he was tied to his chair and that didn't also make sense… did it? How did da-Vlad… Vlad, not dad… Danny wanted to put a hand to his head because he was starting to feel a sense of vertigo, but of course his arms were tied down.

"Oops, almost forgot. I didn't want you to hurt yourself. I'll need to help you eat." Vlad got up from his seat and started making his way over to Danny. Danny was pretty hungry, but one thing he was fairly sure of was that he didn't want Vlad any closer.

So he grunted out a no and shook his head, making Vlad stop.

"Now now, you're going to be hungry later."

"No…" Danny whined, wishing he could make sense of everything. He slung his head back over the headrest and stared at the ceiling.

"Very well but don't complain of hunger later. This is going to be a great day. Even the weather looks nice."

Danny glanced out the window and indeed noticed it was sunny outside. He wanted to struggle or move more, but his body still felt like lead.

Several minutes of silence, save for the clicking of Vlad's silverware, passed and slowly Danny started to feel more aware. The young man had a sneaking suspicion that he'd been drugged, with what, he had no clue because it took some pretty heavy stuff to mess with a halfa.

Before long, Vlad was done eating and after wiping his mouth with a napkin, he rose and started walking towards Danny. Danny started to panic and when Vlad got too close, he kicked out and hit the table, making drinks and food spill and his chair tip over backwards.

"Vlad stop this! You're acting way way crazier than normal!"

Vlad paused and sighed. "See this is why you need your medicine dear Daniel. You could hurt yourself or someone that way." Vlad carefully pulled a needle from his pocket and uncapped it. Daniel tensed and tried pushing away, but couldn't since his legs weren't free either.

"You'll feel better in a little while, Daniel. I'm going to set up an activity for you, TV perhaps, but I can't leave you like this before then. I'm also working on something that will cure you forever."

Danny's eyes widened as Vlad leaned down and propped Danny back up. "Cure me forever? What the heck are you talking about?"

"Your sickness my son."

Danny realized that Vlad was falling even deeper into nothingness at those words. His delusions were getting more and more real. "Vlad listen to me! Nothing you're seeing or thinking is real! It's all in your head! Snap out of it!"

Vlad sighed. "Even with all the fuss, I still love you Daniel. I will do everything I can to protect you. Now relax while I go talk to your mother. She's away for business. Won't she be happy to see her son all better when she gets back?"

Danny shouted in fear and defeat when the needle pierced his skin on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. You won't be a prisoner in your body any more, Daniel. I'll fix it. I promise."

"Vlad… no…" Danny mumbled.

"Daddy is right here, my boy. It's be all over soon. Just a little longer."

Before long, Vlad was gone and Danny was left in the dinning room alone. Food was still spilled over the table and floor and Danny's head was slumped on his chest with his eyes half-opened and a bit of drool trying to fall from his mouth.

zzz

**Amity Park. Fenton Residence. 11:13 AM.**

This was the most insane thing he'd ever done. That was certainly saying something too. Not only that, but he was also doing something that would seem completely counter productive. He'd just been freed from the Ghost Zone, so why on earth would he go back there?

Tucker sighed in nervousness. The upside, he was out of the hospital. Only his constant worry about Valerie had kept him from flipping smooth out. He'd managed to gain control of the nanobots, but had run into one tiny problem. Because the doctors had stopped the nanobots but could not remove them, Valerie's blood and body had already started to try and dissolve the tiny robots. This process would take a very long time and even if it could be done naturally, the amount of dangerous material leaked into her blood by then would no doubt be fatal. The nanobots were now damaged and even if Tucker could take control and move the bots out of her blood via his PDA, their motors and propulsion had been destroyed. The doctors had meant well, but had actually prevented Valerie from being saved quicker. Tucker didn't exactly blame them, after all not many people would or should trust a kid with hacking into nanobots to bring them out of a living body.

However, now there was only one way to save his girlfriend from a slow death and he didn't like the idea one bit. After sneaking out of the hospital and past his parents as well as past Jack and Jazz, he thought the next part would be easier.

"Tucker? What are you doing down here?"

Tucker looked over his shoulder and saw Jazz in the doorway to the basement.

"I um… I need to see someone."

"Uh huh…" Jazz replied and wandered down.

Tucker sighed. "I can't save Valerie by myself. The nanobots are too damaged to control now. There's only one other way I can fix this."

Jazz studied Tucker for a moment before she paled. "Technokinesis."

"Technus…" Tucker murmured.

Jazz let out a big breath. "Tucker… Technus won't help you. He's furthered himself even more from his human emotions."

Tucker grit his teeth in frustration. "I have to try! Don't you get it? This is my fault! Do you know how long it took me to hack into those nanobots? Fifteen minutes. Child's play. I could've easily saved Valerie from this pain and danger, but I never thought to check her. If I don't try everything, then I can't live with myself."

Jazz looked at her brother's friend for a long minute before hugging him. "I can't come with you because me and dad need to stay put for the police… but here." Jazz walked over and pulled out a thermos and a glove. She pulled the glove over Tucker's hand and pointed to it. "This is actually the Fenton Peeler. Dad and mom upgraded it recently. Just make a fist as tight as you can and it will activate the gun and armor."

Tucker nodded as he clipped the thermos to his belt. "Thanks Jazz."

Jazz smiled. "Of course."

A small silence passed over them. "Everything's going to be okay, Jazz."

Jazz looked up in surprise at Tucker. "Wha-"

"I mean yeah, everything is pretty screwy… but we need to have hope. Otherwise there's no point, right? I'm saying something that makes sense, aren't I?"

Jazz chuckled lightly. "Yeah, get going okay? And be safe."

Tucker nodded and turned to jump into the green swirl. He almost fell flat on his face when Jazz yelped.

"Wait! I almost forgot."

Tucker turned to look at Jazz and noticed that she was holding a folder.

"You need to read this before you go to Technus."

"What is it?"

"You know about my thesis, right?"

"Yeah."

"I've had to do lots and lots of research on the ghosts in my paper and because it's not very safe to face them in person… I had to try and find out more about who some of them were in life."

Tucker blinked in shock and looked down at the manilla folder.

"I was going to share everything I found with you guys soon, but then this all happened…"

Tucker nodded in understanding. He turned to once again jump into the portal.

"Be on guard and stay safe."

Tucker didn't reply before leaping into the portal. Jazz knew to open the doors back up if he tapped hard enough on them, plus he had his PDA with him. He glanced down at the folder one more time as he started floating through the endless green… again.

"And use psychology."

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 11:24 AM.**

"No way… He's that inventor?" Tucker yelped out ins surprise as he floated threw the zone. Tucker went back to reading.

_'From what research I've done, I'm starting to believe Technus didn't find peace because he wasn't given more credit for helping to create the many inventions as well as his physiological fascination with electricity.'_

Tucker kept reading slowly. Finally he neared the end of the papers.

_'Died of a heart attack…'_

Tucker sighed. It was no wonder Technus was a bit nutty. He wasn't exactly normal in life and trusted very few people then, and in his case, for good reason.

It wasn't long after that that he found himself in front of Technus' door.

He finally gathered the courage and knocked.

"Yes, hello? Who is it!?"

"Uh… Tucker?"

"The Techno-geek?"

"Uh yeah, can I talk to you?"

Tucker gasped and had to leap back with Technus' door swung open. The robot body leaned forward and its oddly expressive eyes narrowed. "What's this about?"

Tucker gulped and then calmed. "Look I really need your help."

"My help? Why would I help you?"

"Um because it's the right thing to do?"

Technus didn't budge.

Tucker chuckled nervously. "Heh, it was worth a shot." He then rubbed his face. "Valerie has a bunch of nanobots inside of her that are poisoning her slowly. I can't get them out, but I know you can with your technokinesis-" Tucker lunged to catch the door before Technus could slam it closed.

"Go a-whay. I will not help you, child."

"Please, just listen!"

"No!"

Tucker grunted, trying to keep the door open. "I know about the electrical inventions you created and how your work was ripped off by others. You were a genius and for years you've had to listen to people praise the names of your competitors and their descendants instead of you."

Tucker gagged when he suddenly found himself snagged by the throat and pulled into Technus' room. Machines beeped and arced lightning through the air.

"And you have a shower near all this?"

"Silence!" Technus shouted and glared at the human boy in his grasp. "How did you learn all this?"

Tucker frowned. "Your name was Nicolai Tisza."

Technus dropped the boy and clasped his metal hands over where his ears would be as a human. "Be quiet! I am Technus! Master of all things electronic and beeping! I will rule the world with the machines _I_ invented! All your technology is because of my doing! You all would be nothing without Technus!"

Tucker backed up against a wall. "I get it. You're angry and you have a right to be. Until I researched this stuff I had no clue. They were wrong to ignore you."

Technus looked up at Tucker with glowing red eyes. "They will pay when I take over da world."

Tucker frowned. "You've been alone for a long time and have only had your machines as company."

"Humans can not be trusted. They lie and machines do not."

"That's true. How about this… If you help me… I'll see what I can do about fixing the wrongs done to your name. It'll be hard to get people to forget the old and learn the new since so many have never even heard of you, but you'd be surprised what I can do. Besides that… don't you want to do good for the world? You could do all kinds of things with your power."

Technus huffed and steam flew from his joints. "I don't care for humans or human emotions. They are painful and… more complex than machines."

"They are. They can really suck sometimes. Like right now, I want to help my girlfriend. I really do and I feel useless and desperate. On the other hand, when things are good, joy and happiness are awesome."

Technus stared at Tucker for a long while. "I do recall some of those… feelings. They were brief even in life for me… but they were there."

"You could find peace eventually you know. Either I can try my best to fix the wrongs or you can create new things in the present. If legalities get in the way because you're you know, dead… then I can put them under my name-"

Technus' eyes burned red. "You lie! You are just like the others!"

Tucker gulped. "No! No! You don't get it! I swear I'd put them under my name only for legal reasons. I'd tell everyone who made them and even give you all the money if you want it."

Technus blinked. "All the money? Not even a share?"

Tucker sighed. "I don't need money to be happy. I just want Valerie back."

Technus floated silently for a few moments.

Tucker frowned. "I'm willing to do these things, but if you don't agree, then I'm prepared to force you to help me."

Technus looked down and finally noticed the thermos and glove. "Then way ask if you can force me?"

"Because I wanted to be fair. Danny has stared to really understand and explain ghost obsessions to us. They're complex… more complex than we ever thought. So I get it. I'm willing to do this in a way that benefits everyone."

Technus let out a long sigh.

Tucker pulled out a piece of paper from his folder. "Several electrical coils, turbines, x-ray parts, lamps, robots, currents and their natures, even research on spark plugs…"

With each thing that was spoken form the list, Technus' robotic body started to look more and more human again. By the time Tucker was done, Technus looked more like his 2.0 version.

"You really did your research."

"Well it was actually Jazz, but yeah. She did."

Technus looked about his room at all his machines. "I was electrocuted by a headband I had tinkered with shortly before my death. Not long after, I believe the damage from that incident created the clot that stopped my heart. Machines have always been a comfort to me because they are easy to understand, unlike humans." Technus nodded to Tucker. "Very well. I will help your friend, child or I am not Technus, Master of all thing electronic and beeping!"

Tucker smiled. "Thanks Technus. You'll have to ride in the thermos since that's the only way I can sneak you into the hospital."

Technus grumbled something and floated over. "Here… let me." Technus muttered before clicking the button and getting sucked inside. "Hmmm… Has it gotten roomer in here?"

Tucker chuckled awkwardly before leaving Technus' lair and shutting his door tightly.

zzz

**Amity Park Miracle Hospital. 3:12 PM.**

"There they are all out."

"Thanks, Technus. You did a great job."

"Psh, child's play. It took hardly a smidge of thought to move those nanobots."

Valerie groaned slightly and realized she was in a plain room. She tried to speak but found out she had a tube down her throat. Tucker noticed her and smiled like a moron. "Val! You're awake." He walked over and handed her a notepad and pen since he could tell she wanted to speak.

_Why is there a ghost in here?_

Tucker looked at the writing and chuckled. "Technus here actually saved your life."

"You do not need to praise me, child. I did it out of the good of my own heart- er core."

Valerie raised an eyebrow at that and Tucker chuckled nervously. "Don't worry about it." He watched as Valerie wrote again.

_Where's everyone? What happened to Vlad and Danny?_

"Well the thing about that-"

"Mister Foley? We need you out of the room now, we're going to do a check on Miss Gray."

Tucker tensed when he heard the nurse's voice and spun, quickly sucking Technus into the thermos. Technus cried out as he was sucked in, per usual for any ghost. The Nurse walked in to see Tucker holding something behind his back nervously and Valerie looking at her.

"Oh my! Miss Gray's awake!" The nurse walked over and shooed Tucker out of the room. "I need to get the doctor and you can't be in here at this time."

Tucker looked over his shoulder at Valerie and gave her a look that said, 'We'll talk later.'

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 4:40 PM.**

Dan growled in frustration as he tried to fire off his twentieth blast of energy. It had been like this since his release. He kept getting tired every time his fired off an attack, be it ecto-flames, a blast, telekinesis or anything at all. He'd also made the bad mistake of trying to use his wail and woke up an hour later.

Finally, Dan gave up for the time being and made his way back to Clockwork's fuming and mentally firing off curses in his head. When he got inside the lair he nearly tripped over a strange trinket of Clockwork's that was on the floor. Dan cursed out loud and steadied himself. He whispered yet another curse under his breath when Clockwork's voice came to him.

"That's the third time you've almost tripped over that staff since you've been out. Are you feeling alright?"

Dan scowled. "Shut-up. Stop acting like you don't know. Do you have any idea how condescending you sound, all. the. time?"

Clockwork quirked an eyebrow in amusement before going back to his blank face. "Dan, you are feeling a lack of control, energy, power and drive since you've been released, correct?"

Dan gave a sardonic grin. "Performance issues?"

Clockwork coughed and gave Dan a hard look. "All joking aside, I know why you are having these problems."

Dan narrowed his eyes. "Oh I get it. The whole, I've let you out with strings attached bit. You're doing this aren't you?"

Clockwork frowned sadly and Dan was shocked by the sudden look.

"That is not the case."

Dan huffed, trying to move past the pitying look Clockwork had given him. "Then what is the problem oh great and powerful, Oz?"

a slightly impatient Clockwork murmured something to himself in latin before speaking. "The problem is that you lack an obsession."

Dan froze and was quiet for a moment. "What."

"You no longer have an obsession." Clockwork turned to look at Dan fully. "You're disappearing."

zzz

**Pariah's Keep. 9:54 PM.**

Pariah was his. Finally the titan had fallen. Now it was just a matter of finding the key to the sarcophagus. He'd searched Vlad's place and had found nothing, oddly enough. Where could it be? Vladimir had been the last to have it and yet it wasn't where it should be. No matter. His children would find it for him.

Malus took a deep breath and then released it, causing dark wisps of smoke to pour out from the sarcophagus. They swirled around themselves to form four demonic looking creatures. One took the shape of a large and evil looking raven, another took the form of a skeleton horse, the third became a hellhound and the last was in the shape of a great lizard. All of them had black sunken in eyes and gnarly joints and libs. With no verbal command they flew off in different directions, with the purpose to search relentlessly for the object that would set their master free.

zzz

**Somewhere in Montana. 11:11 PM.**

"The coordinates Tucker gave us aren't far from here."

Sam nodded to Maddie's comment. It wasn't long before they found themselves off-road, going through long stretches of fields and forests.

"How on earth does anyone buy groceries here?" Maddie asked.

Sam was about to speak when something large slammed into their vehicle, tipping it over onto its side and forcing to to slide in circles. Eventually they stopped and Maddie kicked the door out of the RV before hoping out and landing in a stance, bo staff ready. Sam crawled out right behind, with several weapons strapped to her waist and back. She froze when she saw the mass of ghostly animals surrounding them.

Maddie growled. "Vlad's experiments. I didn't know he had more of these."

A bear with moose antlers roared before rearing up and baring its claws at them. The other animals started to growl, snort, and cry out.

"Prepare to fall, fiends!" Maddie shouted before she dove into battle. Sam grit her teeth and pulled out two ecto-pistols from their holsters, starting to fire into the crowd of beasts.

Several minutes later, Maddie and Sam found themselves back to back and facing what seemed like an never-ending army of ghostly animals.

"We need to make our way through them. We can't fight them forever for our sakes and Danny's," Sam spoke up before throwing a Jack-o-ninetails at a massive jackelope creature.

Maddie grimaced and glanced down at her waist to see a few small metal spheres. Each had a red dot on them and they were her last resort. They were small gas grenades which held blood blossom vapor. Vapor couldn't destroy a ghost, but it would cause a lot of fear and pain. A few months ago, she wouldn't have hesitated using them against any old ghost, but now she was much more hesitant.

"Sam I'm going to use a special weapon. When I do, we have to make a run for it."

Sam looked at her in confusion. "Special weapon?"

"Someone rang?"

Maddie and Sam looked up to see Dani dive bomb the animals with blasts and icy beams.

"Dani? Oh sweetie, we were so worried!" Maddie cried out.

Dani looked over at her and smiled. "I was really scared when everyone saw Danny and I thought about just disappearing, but I knew I couldn't abandon Danny after everything he'd done. I love you guys."

Maddie teared up slightly and hugged her floating daughter until Sam's voice caught their attention.

"Uh I hate to be the one to break of the mushy stuff, but demon animals?" Sam motioned and pulled her arm away before jaws snapped in the place it had been.

All three girls paused where they were when a terrible roar from the woods sounded, causing birds to take off in a panic. The animals looked towards the woods, some whimpering. It was then that Cujo, in his larger form, burst through the trees and roared again in their faces. The smaller beasts took off running immediately and the rest took off after Cujo slammed into a few of the larger ones and scared them away.

Dani smiled brightly and ran over to Cujo to hug his face. "Oh good boy! Good Cujo!" Cujo barked happily before licking Dani's face.

"Dani, how'd you even find us?" Sam asked.

Dani chuckled nervously. "Well I had checked everyplace Vlad used to go, even Colorado. I was doubling back some when I caught you and Maddie's voices…"

"Whoa whoa wait a minute. Our voices?" Sam asked and rose a brow.

_Well more like your mental thoughts._

Sam and Maddie flinched in surprise.

"You've started developing telepathy…" Sam murmured.

Dani nodded. "I guess I just happened to fly over you guys, close enough. Then I spotted your RV and followed you."

"Let's get moving, Danny's waiting for us," Maddie spoke up after squeezing Dani's shoulder.

Sam nodded and started to follow after Maddie while Dani floated over and rode on Cujo's back. The four made their way towards where they thought Danny and Vlad were.

zz

Danny pulled and struggled in the large tube, trying to in vain to break his restraints.

"This is just what we need, Daniel. This right here."

Danny glanced down at Vlad as the other halfa loaded those ominously glowing stones of Akili into the machine next to his tube; Danny thrashed even harder when he noticed the larger amount he used. Vlad rubbed his hands as he looked at the machine's screen, the light bounced off his face an only helped to highlight the red boils on his now present there. Danny had started to notice the ecto-acne earlier that day and it had slowly gotten worse and worse. There were even boils starting to appear on his hands from what Danny could see. Vlad;s ghost half was starting to over-power in living self.

"Vlad, listen to me! I'm not your son! This is going too far!" Danny paused. "Well probably cloning me was taking it too far, but whatever. Vlad!"

"Don't worry Daniel. It'll finally be over."

Danny and Vlad's eyes met and for a moment Danny couldn't be sure if Vlad was still stuck in one of his delusions or if he was actually aware of his actions. Baby blue and cobalt lingered on each other before Vlad moved over to a lever.

"Vlad. Stop this. This isn't right."

Vlad sighed deeply. "I'm going to make it right." The lever was then pulled down and Danny was rudely reminded of how painful resisting Akili stones was.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAHHHH!" Danny screamed out and started to thrash, arching his body by instinct.

Vlad sat down and stared at the flashing cell with a blank and sad looking expression. He clasped his hands together and continued to watch the graph near the machine.

"My son. My precious son."

"Danny!?"

"Danny!?"

"Vlad!?"

Vlad's head popped up at the voices and his eyes turned fully red before he glared in the direction of the sound. "Intruders…" He only had time to get up and transform before Maddie, Sam, Dani and Cujo burst into the large lab-like room.

All of the humans looked at the screaming Danny in worry, while Cujo was growling at Vlad.

Vlad swiped his cape out from in front of him and he blocked their view of Danny with his body. Maddie and Sam both noticed the now black looking boils on the ghost form's skin. He was completely ignoring the pain coming from his human half.

"You will not hurt my son. Leave this place, now!" Vlad roared.

Maddie narrowed her eyes. "Not without Danny. Vlad he's not your son. He never was!"

"Silence! He's everything to me! My wonderful son and no one will take him from me!" Vlad screamed before duplicating into four and firing a blast at each opponent.

Maddie cartwheeled away, Dani floated up, Cujo turned intangible, and Sam dove into a roll to escape. Maddie then turned and fired a blast from the Fenton foamer, hoping to take out one duplicate. That Vlad growled and swatted the flying foam away with a ecto-construct in the shape of a paddle. The original Vlad noticed the Spector Deflectors on the full humans before he had to tell a duplicate to use a ecto-shield against the pistol fire coming from Sam. One Vlad then flew straight for Cujo, igniting his hands with his ecto-stinger. Cujo cried out in pain as he was electrocuted before he managed to swing his head around to bite through the fake ghost. A poof of pink was all that was left. Another Vlad focused and forced a large tornado of winds towards Dani. Dani dashed to the side, using a small burst of telekinesis to make it out of the way of the attack; she then fired ice beams from her eyes towards him. Vlad growled before matching the ice with arcs of electricity, eventually the ice ran out and the electricity made Dani fly back into the wall behind her. The Vlads then redoubled their efforts against Sam and Maddie. Sam blocked Vlad's ecto-sword blow for blow before he overpowered her once and threw her to the ground. Before he could try and take advantage of her fall, Cujo crashed into him. Sam leapt up and blasted the fake Vlad before sparing a glance at Danny's still thrashing form.

Smoke started to come from the machine and sparks were jumping from it. The graph on the side was very close to going over the large red line at the top.

"Danny!" Sam called out and made to run to him, only to be blocked by one of the two remaining Vlads. Seconds later, Dani rushed him and crushed an ice-covered fist into his gut, making the duplicate disappear.

Maddie watched as Vlad stopped attacking her and looked over his shoulder to see Sam trying to get to Danny. Vlad transported to be in front of her and thus the rest of the rescue group and growled. His fists ignited in pink energy and dark yellow ecto-fire started to form and swirl around him like a firestorm.

Maddie glanced down at the metal spheres and grabbed one. After a moment of indecision, she clicked the red button, which started to flash with light.

"You will not take my son from me, ever again!" Vlad yelled. Not seeming to care the the graph-line had gone over the red limit. The machine was smoking and starting to make various straining noises.

Before any of them could make a move, Danny's voice rose in volume. "VLLAAAD! VLLAAAAAAAADD! PLEASE PLEASE STOP!" There was a lot of pain and desperation in Danny's voice as it cut through the air. Vlad stopped his powerful attack and without the sounds of the machine Danny was in, still running, one could've heard a pen drop.

Vlad lowered himself to the ground and transformed back into Masters. He glanced at Danny's now smoking form as Sam ran over and turned off the machine.

"Danny! Danny are you okay!?"

"Sam?"

Vlad stood in udder silence, looking around at every person as if he wasn't sure where he was. Vlad then looked at Maddie. "Mads?"

Maddie's mouth dropped open a little even as the sphere in her hand opened a bit and the red vapor started to pour out into the room, quietly. Vlad hadn't called her that since their college days, it was a nickname both Jack and Vlad had used back then.

"What…" Vlad checked himself and looked back at Danny, who was breathing heavily against Sam's shoulder with his eyes closed; both were sitting on the ground. "Daniel?"

Dani watched Vlad look around in confusion and slight horror, without emotion. She wasn't sure if that was normal to not feel some pity for the man, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Maddie took a step forward, forgetting about the sphere she'd dropped. "Vlad. I'm still angry, but let us help you. You're _not_ well."

Vlad looked at her for a long moment and then his own hands and then back to Danny. "I…" Vlad started to speak before he coughed and coughed violently. Maddie looked around as Vlad started to cough harder and noticed the sphere.

"Oh no. We need to get the ghosts and half-ghosts out of here. The blossom vapor is spreading," Maddie expressed.

Dani seemed a bit tired, Cujo scratched at his nose, and Sam noticed Danny was having trouble breathing. Vlad coughed again and some of his paling peach skin became slightly discolored where the most acne was.

"Vlad," Maddie spoke.

Vlad looked up at her and wheezed a bit.

"We need to get out of here. Your acne is back and that's making the effects of the blood blossoms feel worse. If we don't give you the acne cure, they will only get worse even after you leave."

Vlad looked at Maddie for a long time and then he glanced back at Daniel. "No. I need to go, Madeline. I've done too much already."

"Vlad, wait!" She paused for a second when he looked back at her. "You could die," Maddie expressed.

Sam looked up, Cujo cocked his head and Dani continued watching with an unreadable expression.

Vlad sighed and then gave a sardonic smile before he disappeared in a wisp of pink. "Thank you for pretending to care, my dear."

And Vlad was gone. Maddie shook her head briefly before running over to Danny and Sam. "We need to get out." Sam nodded as Maddie took Danny and pulled him onto her back in a fireman's carry. Cujo let Dani get on her back and the whole group ran out of the room.

As they ran into the fresh air and got outside the mansion, Danny's eyes cracked open.

_Vlad…_

"_Even with all the fuss, I still love you Daniel. I will do everything I can to protect you."_

Danny then let go and fell into the darkness of unconsciousness.

ooo

_"Oh, you are not?! Using your powers to get back at people you don't like? Throwing the first punch? You are more like me than you know!"_

_zz_

_"If somebody catches me, I go from geek to freak around here!"_

_"No. I feel like my heart's been ripped out. But I know who I can take it out on!"_

_"Because I used my powers for the wrong reason and became exactly the kind of person I hate."_

_"Way to go, Fenton. You just ticked off one of the only two-real friends you have."_

_zz_

_"Why, so you can go back to stumbling through your adolescence, desperately trying to get control of your powers?"_

_"Using your opponents' weaknesses against him, I am teaching you something after all."_

_"Fenton kid? So that's it. Alright young Danny, GAME ON."_

_"Let this be a lesson Danny, I put the "pro" in quid pro quo, not that you are "quit" enough to know what that means."_

_"Well Daniel, come to wish your old uncle Vlad good luck, have you?"_

_"BUT, there's nothing to rule here, this place is nothing but ice, snow and… hopelessness."_

_"That was da Vinci, you dolt."_

_"Oh yes, the obligatory weather pun, how original."_

_"I don't expect you to understand my reasons Danny, the important thing is if we are going to defeat Vortex, we are gonna have to do it TOGETHER!"_

_"If any good came out of this, it's that ten years without ghost powers gave me the chance to see what a fool I'd been."_

_"All I have ever wanted, was love…"_

ooo

**Fenton RV. Montana. 1:02 AM.**

Danny could feel warm hands moving over his wrists and checking his shoulder. For once he didn't feel heavy or restrained and he wasn't sure what that meant for a moment, until he heard a wonderful voice.

"Danny, are you awake?" Sam asked.

Danny cracked opened his eyes to see his mother and girlfriend hovering over him. Dani was sitting in human form in one of the other back seats; Cujo was in puppy form in her lap.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Maddie asked and stroked his face with the back of her hand.

Danny took a deep breath. "Better. I think. Everything's really blurry and I can't quite figure out what happened and what didn't…"

Sam reached for his hand and grasped it. "I'll tell you what I can when we start to travel home."

Maddie nodded and leaned back on her haunches. "We'll started traveling back in a few hours. Once the sun rises, maybe."

Danny only nodded as he started to remember what going home now meant… He'd almost forgotten that now the whole world knew who and what he was. He glanced at Dani, who looked at her lap to avoid his gaze and Sam tried to give him a smile, but it was weak.

"What happened to Vlad?" Danny suddenly asked.

Maddie shook her head. "We lost track of him."

"But he had acne again."

"Yes. He did."

Danny seemed a bit confused by the confirmation. "But he could die fully."

"I told him that and… he didn't seem to care."

Danny furrowed his brows.

"Danny. I hate to be this way, but Vlad is honestly the least of our worries right now," Sam spoke up.

Danny quietly nodded and leaned back down. Normally he wouldn't want to rest at a time like this, but something told him he'd need it. Other than that, he had a lot to think about.

zzz

**A small creek above Cut Bank Creek. 1:33 AM.**

Vladimir Vladimirovich Zavoevyvat was a fallen conqueror. A long Russian name that sounded so much more impressive than it really was was all he had now. For the first time in a long time, he was no longer the famous Vlad Masters or the devious Vlad Plasmius, but Vladimir. As he sat on a stone and stared at his and the stars' reflections in the water, he wondered how much of himself he'd sacrificed to go from Vladimir to Vlad Masters to Vlad Plasmius.

His hair fix had fallen out as he'd fled and his white hair fell just below his shoulders. He gazed now at his hands and thought back on every moment he could remember in his life. Torn between all parts of himself, the frustration, anger, betrayal, sorrow, horror and longing, Vlad could only ask himself one thing.

"What now?"

* * *

**Okay so what did you guys think? The last chapter was really crazy and I didn't exactly want to loose the momentum of everything that's happening. Also What did you think of Vlad? I'm kinda getting subconscious about making sure I do his character right in the future. I want to make sure Vlad doesn't loose his edge and he won't. He'll be mostly a hardass still but at the very end of the story it might change a tiny bit.**

**As for Vlad's full Russian name, I looked up how middle names work for Russians and found that they have a middle name that honors a father or sometimes a mother. Yes Vlad's father's name was also Vladimir and his last name means conquer in Russian to reflect the Masters thing. I got the idea for the last name from 'Running into the Enemy's Arms' by deadlydaisy8o8. I love the chapter that has Vlad giving Danny 'the speech' about shaving. It's hilarious.**

**On the subject of Technus, I kinda based his life off of Nikola Tesla. The DP wiki even says that Technus' name is a play off of Tesla's name, Nicolai Technus : Nikola Tesla... Regardless, I'm just mentioning this because I don't want to offend Tesla's name or ancestry or anything like that... I think they mention that kind of disclaimer at the start of some movies and games. This is why I changed his 'real' name slightly.**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**RedHatBlue: Will Vlad be saved from himself ? I like to believe that he can learn to be good, he just need someone to reach him and help him out of all craziness and obsession that is inside him, and insanity. I hope he can be saved. Also, I really love each and every chapter of your story. Sorry for my bad english, it's not my first language.**

**NoSignal: He's certainly in a confusing place right now. He needs to think a lot and face people he's wronged. It won't be an easy or seamless path for anyone involved...**

**TheBoss3254: I want to see how the public treat Danny now that they know his identity!**

**NoSignal: That will most likely be touched on a tiny bit, next chapter. :)**

**Apocalypse1950: I want more. So badly. I wish I could be more eloquent, but this story is just what I want out of this kind of fic.**

**NoSignal: Oh wow, so glad you like it so much!**

**Sunrise moon 2: I wonder why Dan was let out; I mean I still don't trust him.**

**NoSignal: You're right not to trust him, yet. Also like Clockwork said, he isn't much of a threat at present. And then Clockwork informed him of why he's feeling weak in this chapter.**

**Gea5s: **

**1) "Before the true battle can begin, a huntress becomes an ally, a family is made whole, an imperfection is made perfect, a class takes a field trip, a city is enlightened, a man is redeemed, a monster is saved, and a King is crowned." Even though it has been so far, is the rest of this chronilogical, and if not, can you tell it as such?**

**2) if Dan absorbed Plasmius' core, does he also have vlads memories?**

**3) will dan eventually be an eidolon construct?**

**4) Will Dan find closure, with the residents of the zone and himself (x3: himself, danny, vlad) and just in general?**

**5) What is Dan's obsession exactly? **

**6) will dan visit earth soon?**

**7) You mentioned Dan's character in TUE. I agree with you, and since he is now out of the thermos, will these be elaborated upon?**

**8) Is clockwork stronger than Dan, minus chronokenesis?**

**11) Ive always wondered what it would be like if danny made peace with some ghosts and let them roam amity more (minus GiW issue). Could you make is like klemper roams with permission and makes friends n stuff, or technus helping in some electronics place and helping peeps?**

**15) this isnt mutch a question, but "Clockwork then placed the dented thermos on Dan's table before quietly WALKING out and shutting the door." Sorry, had to point this one out.**

**17) How soon will we see the fruits of Clockwork's "Project"?**

**Disregard question 10 12 13 14 16 9.**

**I came here somehow from LoL fics, and i though that the lack of the same level of veriety would hurt the ljne a bit. I must say i was (for the most part) pleasantly surprised. I believe this is the best DP fic, and i mean it. Shame nick cancelled such a series, and all cartoons these days stink. You also made me remember the time i was obsessed with the show 2 years ago. Sorry for the wall of text, and keep up the good work!**

**NoSignal: 1) It has been chronological to some degree so far, but it might not be for the whole story. It depends on how right certain events feel before others and such, so it's hard to say how they'll be laid out. 2) No, he does not have Vlad's memories. In my headcannon, absorbing a core is merely an energy thing. The ghost may gain a few physical or very slight personality traits from the transfer, but no more. 3) Maybe, we'll have to see! 4) Can't tell you that one. It would ruin the surprise! :). 5) Even Dan doesn't know anymore. 6) Dan still has some things to learn and consider before then 7) In character, do you mean his strange sort of remorse when facing Jazz and various things like that? If so, yes, Dan will get the chance to explain his side of things. 8) I'd say no. Clockwork's strength is from his wisdom or all things possible and his ability to control time. He doesn't need raw strength behind that as well. 11) You might get your wish... we'll have to see. ;). 15) Oops, I'll try to find the time to go and fix that. 17) If by project, do you mean Dan, or Danny, or the Time-stream? **

**Phew, you have some great questions! No worries about the wall of text, they make me happy. Thank you so much for your praise. I certainly don't think my story is the _best_ DP story, but I like to think it's okay enough :) Regardless, thank you for your support!**

**NoSignal to all reviews: I just want to really thank you guys for your reviews, questions, ideas and general support. You guys really do keep me going. Though my vision for this story does drive me by itself, you guys help me to know that others are actually enjoying it too and that I'm not just writing something for myself. I like knowing that others enjoy this vision I have. I have also learned a lot from continuously writing this story and can see the difference between early works and now. I feel like writing Danny's character is becoming second nature, lol. Regardless, thanks all of you for everything you do! Even you silent peeps out there!**

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**Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc!**

**I hope to keep you all entertained!**

**~NoSignal**


	23. 1986

**Hey there everyone! I sure hope I did okay on this chapter. There are a lot of little things here and there mostly to add to the plot. And really it starts off with a lot of Vladdy goodness. I really hope I made his story believable.**

**I still need even more people to vote on my poll too.**

* * *

**As a final note: For those of you that follow this story and my pokemon story, you'll know on that final chapter of the Kalos Arc that it will be four or five weeks before I can get the first chapter posted(minus the List). But what I'm really trying to get at is this: I plan to still update this story in the meantime every two weeks, however my last year of school is coming up and I'll be super busy this year (at least I'm stressing that it will be) I could be wrong, but with an internship, a year long project to finish up my major, and normal classes to boot, my update schedule may not be as good as before. This won't be a problem really until late August and maybe it won't be as bad as I think it will be, but I did want to give a heads-up to everyone. I certainly don't intend to stop permanently because I enjoy doing this, regardless of anything, finally getting these stories on paper/computer is awesome.**

**Okay that's all the announcements other that another little theory-fact thing I thought of.**

***I was researching the Packers so I could know more about Vlad and stuff, when I learned about another team from Wisconsin, called the Wisconsin Badgers. They're a collage team (so they're I guess under the NFL) Anyways I froze and was like... "Oh my gosh. LITTLE BADGER!" I totally think that's why Vlad calls Danny that.**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if I had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

is also great and would suffice. ~ Robert Frost.

zzz

**University of Wisconsin. 1986. 12:08 PM.**

"Oh butter biscuits! Don't you neanderthals have anything better to do!?" Vlad whispered in urgency as he dashed through the halls. He yelped and ducked to make a flying football miss the back of his head. "This is so bogus!"

"Come back here, nerd!"

Vlad grumbled before his eyes locked onto Jack's large figure gesturing to the closet he was hiding in. Vlad dipped around the corner as fast as he could before slamming the door behind him.

"Where'd he go?"

"What a loser. I mean is he trying to look like a cornchip or what!?"

"Ha aha ha! You said it, man."

Once the bullies' voices faded, Jack immediately tugged on the cord to get light in the small room.

"Hey there V-man! Saw they were totally baggin' on you, so I thought you could use some help."

Vlad sighed in exasperation. "Thanks Jack."

Jack chuckled, not seeming to notice the sadness in his friend's voice until he saw Vlad stare at the ground for a moment. "They uh, weren't talking about your home again, were they?"

Vlad cocked a brow at Jack for seeming to have caught on so quick. He raked a hand through his hair. "It's like they don't even try to understand. Just because I'm Russian and my parents were Russian and I was the only one in our entire family that was even allowed let escape the homeland, doesn't mean I'm communist!"

Jack nodded slowly. If there was one thing about Jack that Vlad liked the most it was that he was somewhat neutral. Jack was simple and didn't really process some of the more complicated aspects of life, which made him an overall nice person and one who disliked any sort of animosity. Of course he could be very annoying and talk forever and be agonizingly stupid, but he listened and that was at least one point over his parents.

"I know that, V-man. I bet ya the whole thing will blow over eventually. By the way, did you see the Colts versus Packers game? I wasn't able to catch it last night. Me and Mads went out to see the sequel to Alien the other night." Jack looked thoughtful. "For some reason Mads kept clinging to my arm when the monsters jumped out. I thought the movie was kinda silly, I mean can you imagine, Aliens? Ghosts. Now that's something real to be afraid of!"

Vlad stared at Jack for a moment before slapping a hand to his face and dragging it downwards. "How can someone be so clueless?" Vlad muttered to himself before answering Jack's question. "The Packers won."

"Aw nuts. Well your Packers did it again, Vladdie!"

Vlad smirked, enjoying the victory. "Why on earth do you even bother? The Packers are obviously superior within recent years."

Jack chuckled. "True. These things go in cycles though and besides, sometimes it's just fun to root for the underdog!"

Vlad looked at his friend in puzzlement as the larger young man made his way to the door a peaked out. _Root for the underdog? Why?_

"Coast is clear! Let's get to the cafeteria and see what the ladies have cooked up this time! They're sauerkraut is THE bombdigity V-man."

"Their knoephla isn't bad either…" Vlad hummed. "Still not as good as _tetya Inna_'s though." Vlad paused from walking when he noticed Jack's blank stare. He sighed. "Potato dumpling soup."

"Ah! I get ya. For a second I thought you were talking a totally different language there."

Vlad sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time.

zzz

**Vlad's dorm room. 3:09 PM.**

Vlad collasped on his bed and let out a long breath. At lunch he and Jack had found Maddie and enjoyed a meal together. Vlad had tried hard not to barf when he noticed how Maddie was trying to get Jack's attention.

It was something he just didn't understand. He would listen, he was an intellectual and knew what was reportedly required to have a loving relationship… from what he'd heard and read. Why did Maddie seek Jack over him? Why did no one see him as worthy? He _was_ worthy and he knew it. After all you couldn't settle for less than the best and yet he'd learned that so many others seemed to do just that.

"Yesli vam ne udastsya Vy zabyli , kak pyl' pod sapogami." (If you don't succeed you are forgotten like dust beneath boots.) Vlad murmured, remembering something his father had repeated to him over and over and over again. That was usually when he'd had a bit too much vodka and would shove Vlad into a chair by the throat and start to lecture about being a man and having pride and not taking anything less than the best. It was this reason that his parents had sent him to America when they'd gotten the chance.

There was a part of Vlad that had wanted them to be proud of him, to give him attention they never would share. Once they had died however, he could only really think of how much of a hinderance they had been to him. They had held him down and he had tried to rely too much on their support to make himself happy. He didn't need another person to tell him is was good, great, incredible in every sense of the word. People were distractions in the big picture.

That was mostly the case anyways. There was his dear _tetya Inna_. His kind aunt Inna. He could still remember how she would yell out the names of the pastries she baked when in need of a curse. He wasn't sure if a true vile thing had ever left the dear's mouth. He'd actually felt sadder when she had passed away still in Russia with the family, than when his parents had gone. As soon as his parents had died, he'd quickly switched from a business degree to something radical and new as though to punish his dead parents for not giving him more attention. Thus where Jack and Maddie had come in. He's seen their poster for a ghost studies club and joined. Eventually he'd befriended them to some degree and for once in a long while, felt like he was being treated right. Jack thought he was smart and Maddie thought he was clever and funny… They appreciated him.

Vlad growled in slight frustration and pushed all his thoughts from his head. "Whatever." He didn't really care much about it. Though he was worried Jack and Maddie would leave him once Jack had sense knocked into him, he wasn't that worried. After all, he was smart and clever and funny and wonderful. His parents were wrong to ignore him.

Vlad sat up and glanced over the papers he'd put on his desk when he'd walked into his and Jack's shared dorm room. They were filled with calculations and equations for their work on a ghost portal prototype. There was so many things to account for and so many equations that each of the trio of friends had been given a third of the problems and solutions to sort out. Vlad didn't really think they could make an inter-dimensional portal. His logical mind said it wasn't possible, but a tiny bit of him wondered if he could see Inna again.

He walked over to his closet and pulled out his lab coat. Tomorrow they would be testing the portal for the first time. Later tonight they would be looking over the actual machine to make sure they'd built it correctly. Then the proper equations should tell them just how many watts and which chemicals they needed to make it run. Vlad was a bit nervous about Jack's work, but at the same time he knew it couldn't be too bad. Though he could really be idiotic at times, he'd seen his grades and work in general and Jack was a wiz with concepts and memory; Vlad did wonder however if his friend suffered from some type of dyslexia.

Vlad knew Jack and Mads would already be in the lab, so he gathered his things for the club, leaving behind his stuff from Physics and left the room.

zzz

**Room 101. Science Building. 4:34 PM. The Next Day.**

Vlad narrowed his eyes at the portal. "I'm telling you, Jack. It won't work."

"Bogus, V-man! It totally will. This Proto-Portal is guaranteed to bust open the wall into the ghost dimension." Jack boasted before turning around to gather the controller to the portal.

Vlad stood in front, eyeing the electronics and gadgets inside the ring of the portal, not realizing that Jack was about to test it.

"Jack these calculations you've done aren't right," Maddie expressed in worry.

"BONZAI!" Jack yelled out, startling Vlad just as the remote switched the portal on. For a moment, Vlad knew he should move. For some reason though, he was transfixed by the greenish glow of whatever they'd just created. A second later he felt an extraordinary amount of pain and couldn't see anything but white.

"AUGH! BOGUS!"

Slowly shapes started to form in his eyes and he could make out the blurry peach color of his own hands, since he'd instinctually grabbed his face after the blast of energy was gone. He could feel large bulbous pustules under his fingers and as he removed his hands to look for Jack and Maddie, he could only see their blurry forms.

In a pure panicked state, he ran from the lab. Not long after he rammed into a mass of flesh and then bounced off to only slam into the nearby poster board on the wall.

"Watch where you're-"

Vlad could recognize bully's demanding voice as Thomas, the typical offender, though he wondered why he'd stopped talking. All Vlad could still see was blurred forms.

"What the hell happened to your face, man!?"

"Whoa…"

"Sick…"

"What's up with the eyes?"

"Uck, Grodie."

"V-man!"

Vlad backed up and bumped into what had to be Jack based on the size of the hand now on his shoulder.

"Nothing to see here!" Maddie expressed in a hurry before steering both Vlad and Jack away. Maddie had called nine one one. An ambulance was waiting…

zzz

**Hospital. Two years later.**

The first thing Vlad realized when he woke up was that there was a ceiling right over his head, as in almost smashing his nose in, close. For a brief moment a wave of panic at the possibility of being buried alive surged through him. He gasped and pushed on the ceiling only to feel himself falling… very very slowly. A quick look around made Vlad realize that he wasn't underground but floating… IN THE AIR! Vlad let out a startled and frightened gasp.

"Cheese logs!"

What had happened? Where was he? Was he in some form of afterlife? With a bit of effort, he managed to push hard enough against the ceiling to float down to his hospital bed. Before he could start to float off again, he hooked his arms up under the metal bannisters on his cot. It was good timing because a nurse walked in right afterwards.

She took one look and gasped. "Oh my god. You're… awake."

Vlad stared at her in confusion. "What… what happened?"

The nurse backed up a bit. "I'm sorry, let me go get the doctor first. He'll explain, Mr. Masters."

Then she rushed away. Vlad sat contemplating what little information he'd gathered. His world stopped though when he glanced up at the TV, which was showing the news. The year was nineteen eighty eight. Two years had passed. A wave of confusion and udder disbelief rushed through Vlad's system and suddenly he found himself without a body from the waist down.

He did the first thing that came to mind and screamed bloody murder. It was then that the doctor and nurse rushed in; the sudden movement of the door seemed to be enough to shock Vlad and his legs came back into view right before the door opened fully.

"Mr. Masters, what's wrong?!" The doctor exclaimed.

Vlad glanced at them both in pure panic before he realized he couldn't possibly tell them the truth. After all, he didn't know the truth. So he settled for something almost as shocking.

"What year is it!?"

The nurse gave him this ugly pitying look that made Vlad feel more like hitting something than providing any sort of comfort. The doctor coughed and let out a big sigh before starting.

"It appears as though you've been in some form of a coma for two years, Mr. Masters. However, strangely enough, you only had to be fed, watered, and helped with waste disposal. Your other body functions like breathing and heartbeat never lowered or changed. Though we weren't sure you'd wake up…" The doctor expressed. "I'm very sorry, sir."

Vlad started at him for a long moment, numbly. "I see… May I be discharged and given my bill?"

"Yes of course, we have a few tests we have to run but other than being unresponsive, you're healthy, considering the amount of radiation you were exposed to. We'd also recommend a physiologist at some point since you've missed two years. The accident itself was also potentially traumatizing."

Vlad blinked and looked back up, recalling Jack and Maddie. "Have have I had any visitors?"

The nurse stepped forward. "You can find that information out at the front desk."

"Alright."

zzz

A few hours later, Vlad found himself at the front desk.

"I'm afraid the last time anyone visited you was… two months after your hospitalization. After that, no one."

Vlad stared blankly at the wooden counter and the woman frowned.

"Sir, are… are you alright?"

Vlad looked up suddenly and gave a charming and pleasant smile. "Of course. Thank you. Have a wonderful day."

Vlad then turned on his heel, holding his lab coat bundled in his arms. People were distractions.

zzz

**3 years later. Dr. Lucy Hall MD's Office.**

"So you went to their wedding? That's nice."

"Well of course. Who wouldn't congratulate them on such an occasion?"

Dr. Hall eyed the white-haired man closely. To most he'd seem charming and completely together, but she could see what others could not. "I see." She finished writing something down and stacked her notes. "I just need a moment to look over everything we've covered the last few days…"

"I really think this is unnecessary. I was unconscious for most of the experience. It really is water under the bridge."

Hall nodded. "Perhaps, but you weren't forced to come here…"

"Yes well… I just wanted to quell everyone's concerns. There weren't many people looking into my past before I become so wealthy. They've latched onto the ridiculous idea that the accident altered me in some way."

"Right. Well I need just a moment to look over everything and come to my conclusion."

"By all means."

Hall tore her gaze away from the famous billionaire and read through all her notes carefully and consistently. Several minutes later, she put down her papers, took off her reading glasses and looked evenly at Vlad Masters.

"From everything I've seen, heard and observed. I believe you simply have clinical Narcissism. This is something that can be handled-"

"Narcissism?" Vlad questioned in surprise.

Hall paused with her mouth open before snapping it shut. "Let me explain. Those with your type of Narcissism have trouble empathizing with others and have an overly increased sense of self-importance. But it is really something that can be suppressed if handled properly-"

Vlad let out a laugh. "My dear, I'm not Narcissistic."

Hall sighed internally._ The denial, just another sign._ "I understand it's not a term that sounds too favorable… but really it can be treated. From what you told me of your parents, it's likely they weren't consistent or reliable enough to give you a proper ratio of positive and negative feedback. You've learned to manipulate others because you think you are superior and deserve everyone's praise all the time. You've actually created two separate beings inside yourself-" Hall was the one to interrupt herself this time, when she saw Vlad's knuckles turn white from gripping the chair's arms; she almost thought she saw red in his eyes, but disregarded it. She continued at a slower pace. "A self that is secure and grandiose and a self hidden inside that is truly emotionally weak, sensitive, and unsure. You put your own insecurities on everyone else as a defensive technique."

Hall tensed only slightly when Vlad stood up sharply and gave her the most fear inducing look of malice she could remember.

"That's quite enough, Dr. Hall." Vlad then turned and went to walk out of the room. He spared a glanced over his shoulder. "And if you think of letting anything out as some are tempted to do to the wealthy and successful, don't. I will completely ruin you financially. Nothing personal, just giving a fair warning. I must defend myself against jealous peers, mustn't I?"

Hall sighed sadly. "Of course. It is patient confidentiality we're talking about."

Vlad gave a pleased smile. "Good-bye, Dr. Hall." The doors then shut to the doctor's study. Hall rubbed her temples.

"There isn't anything more you can do…" Hall anguished as she did after every person who left her sessions unresolved. "At least he is a businessman and there's evidence that that helps funnel Narcissistic tendencies into positive energy." She was able to let out a more relaxed sigh at the thought.

zzz

**Present Day. Somewhere in Montana. 6:03 AM.**

Vlad cracked his eyes open when the sun glowed behind his eyelids, disrupting the echoes of his past. The rays were truly brilliant in this part of the wilderness and accentuated every detail of his view with golden highlights.

He kept asking himself over and over what he'd truly done to deserve this horrible of a destiny. It seemed it would be this way truly from cradle to grave if the acne did it's job.

Why couldn't people march forward like perfect little pawns and pieces? Why did they have to dip and dodge and waver and sway and change sides?

He didn't understand what he'd done wrong. Didn't he deserve to have nice things? To live properly? To gain things that belonged to him? To be happy?

As rage built in him and his core reacted to his emotion and his boils burned like fire in response to his ectoplasm use, he clenched his eyes shut… Now he had nothing, again. And he was completely alone, again. He would be hunted for his crimes and never be happy, unless he died quickly and was for some reason spared, despite him having pissed off most of the Ghost Zone for releasing Pariah Dark before.

Suddenly in a strange sort of calm washed over him and odd and foreign thought entered his mind. _Hunted… Daniel…_

And for the first time in a very long time, Vlad curiously wondered how someone other than himself was fairing…

zzz

**Dr. Lucy Hall's Office. The day Vlad took Danny in Amity Park.**

Ms. Hall stacked up the last of her papers as the news played on the small TV under her desk. She'd had a decent day in general and was happy to get the chance to go home and see Morty; her sweet black cat. She rose and started putting everything into her briefcase. She halted in slight human curiosity when she heard a urgent news report.

There was something going on in Amity Park and she recognized the place like most for the ghost attacks that originated from there. She also knew that that was where one of her brightest students came from. She first watched in curiosity and then foreboding and then horror as the story progressed. Not only was her student Jazz Fenton on TV, but Danny Phantom was brawling with the Wisconsin Ghost… or Danny Fenton was brawling with her old patient, Vlad Masters as she soon found out.

By the end of the video and the start of discussions and speculations, the papers in Mrs. Hall's hands slid out from her limp fingers and littered the floor.

zzz

**Present Day. Indiana. Fenton RV. 6:33 PM.**

It had taken almost another full day to drive from Montana to Indiana and Amity Park. Though in this case the driver was taking it a bit slower than the first trip. They still had another hour or two before they would get home, but that was okay. None of them were really wanting to face what lay in wait there.

Within the car, Dani was sitting shot gun. At first She had been sitting in the back with Danny and Sam while watching Cujo. Maddie had been worried that her mind would linger too much on the decline of her once college friend and so she'd politely asked her daughter to come up front and talk to her. This had also given Danny and Sam even more privacy since they'd been talking mostly to each other anyways. Sam was a tad concerned because Danny didn't seem to be panicking. Danny typically had attacks in times like these and Sam knew how to handle a panicking Danny, a happy Danny, a sad and even angry Danny, but not an emotionless Danny.

What was a bit more disturbing what that he kept bringing up fond memories of the trio. Sam of course tried to act interested and smiled and laughed at the parts he would chuckle hollowly at. What worried her the most though was how all the memories he mentioned were before the accident.

Sam finally couldn't take it anymore. "Danny… are you okay?"

Danny looked at her and blinked slowly. "Yeah. My energy is back. I'm fine."

"You aren't… worried about getting home?" Sam asked carefully.

Danny frowned. "Of course I'm worried."

"You aren't acting like I expected."

Danny gave her a bland smile. "Yeah I suppose I should panic but… I'm just trying really hard not to I guess."

That was when Sam realized how scared Danny really was. It wasn't that he wasn't worried or scared. It was that he was so worried and scared that his own body couldn't even comprehend that level of dread.

Sam made Danny look at her. "I know I may sound like Jazz right now, but you can't do this. You have to express yourself, Danny."

Danny looked at her and those amethyst eyes for a long while. "I can't. I can't…"

Sam grit her teeth only slightly, though she wasn't mad at Danny's reply but what he was subconsciously referring to. "It's okay for a man to cry, Danny. You don't have to act tough for me. You know how much I ha-" Sam corrected herself and chose a kinder word. "dislike fake people. I know you're brave and strong in so many ways. You don't have to hide your fear."

Danny stared at her for a moment before Sam could see tears start streaming down Danny's face. He let out a stuttering gasp right before Sam embraced him tightly, cupping his head with one hand as he circled his arms around her torso. He shook and sobbed, causing Maddie and Dani to glance back. Before long, Danny and Sam were both crying in each other's arms as Maddie pulled over. Maddie started to tear up and Dani did too before she grasped for her mother and was held. Cujo whined as Danny continued to sob.

"I don't want to die. I don't want to die in a lab. I already did that once, I can't do it again."

Dani grit her teeth and tried to cover her ears while Sam tried to sooth him as the small group sat in the RV on the side of the road. Danny started to quiet down and made a pitiful whimper before returning to crying softly.

"I'll lose it if they kill me like that… I'll lose it."

zzz

**Amity Park. Fenton Residence. 8:44 PM.**

By the time the sun had gone down, the group had returned to Amity Park. It was kind of a blessing in disguise since they could get Danny in the house without anyone seeing. It wasn't like they thought the authorities wouldn't come eventually if not within next day or so, but even a little bit of peace before the storm was worth it.

Jack and Jazz of course welcomed them all back with grateful and loving words and embraces. Sam offered to take Danny up to his bedroom to rest more, while Jazz took Dani. Jack and Maddie were obviously wanting to talk alone.

In Danny's room, Sam watched Danny sit at the foot of his bed and look at her as she stood before him.

"I don't want to but I have to go."

"Yeah."

"My parents will probably already have fainted from shock."

"Yeah."

Sam paused and placed a hand on Danny's. "I know it's hard, but… know that I love you Danny. Nothing will ever ever change that. Ever."

Danny looked up at her and finally smiled a bit. "You don't know how much that means to me. Really."

Sam leaned down and kissed Danny on the forehead. When she leaned back some part of her wanted so badly for him to get up and hug her, to show his normal fire and bravery, but she didn't demand it. She understood.

"Goodbye Danny." Sam spoke and then turned to walk out of his room. she glanced over her shoulder and gave into her one bit of desire to ask one thing of him. She was still worried, he'd cried but he hadn't really shown panic yet. "See you tomorrow?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah."

And with that she left, calling a chauffeur from her cellphone on the way out of the Fenton home. It seemed like she would be jumping from one battlefield to another for a while… it was time to go home to the lion's den.

Danny sat in his room before curling up under his covers. He was still very worried and scared about what the next days would bring. Danny focused and made sure his cold core was the one active before he started to grow sleepy. He wanted everything to be numb. He didn't want to think or feel his intense dread. He just wanted to dream.

zzz

**Living Room. Fenton Residence. 9:21 PM.**

"Do you really think his obsession grew to such an extreme?"

"I don't know, Jack. It's tough to say. I mean we're just learning a little more about what an obsession can do to ghosts. And Halfas? Just how much does the ghost half control the human or the human the ghost?"

Jazz watched quietly from the shadow of the darkened kitchen as her parents talked. She'd checked on Dani and Danny a while ago, Cujo had returned to the Zone, and she had come down to eavesdrop on her parents. It wasn't very becoming, but she was a worried young adult and had her own thoughts; being interested in what her parents thought about everything was only natural.

"Control?"

"You know what I mean. I know Danny isn't controlled and that would mean Vlad isn't, but…"

"It's their body but with ectoplasm integrated into their system. Though the core… that's the only part of the ghost half that still has so much mystery around it. I mean… when does control start and instinct and obsession end and vice versa?"

"Was it madness or…" Maddie paused. "Would one consider a ghost going after its obsession too strongly, mad? Would they both be considered madness or are they responsible for their actions?"

Jack finally sat down after standing and watching his wife pace a while. Jack gripped his head and clenched his eyes shut. "I've failed my son and my friend…"

Maddie stopped her walking and turned to look at Jack. "Jack honey… that's not true."

"Mads, you can't tell me that if I had been more careful, then Vlad would've never gotten ghost powers in the first place!" Maddie paused and Jack slumped. "That's what I thought."

"Maybe that's true, but you don't know that that's what caused Vlad to lose it. He could have been influenced by human thoughts rather than anything to do with his obsession."

"But his obsession IS Danny and you both!" Jack replied hotly, getting frustrated.

"How do you know that that is what caused his behavior?"

"Because Vlad was never like this before the accident!" Jack barked and then quieted when he realized he'd yelled at his wife for the first time in over twenty years. He put his head in his hands dejectedly. "And now I'm yelling at my wife. I really am a piece of work, huh?"

Maddie sighed and walked over to sit right next to her husband. She held his hand and rubbed it.

"No… It's fine." Maddie hummed. "Besides, we're just very stressed and confused."

"I could tell you what I think, if you want."

Both parents looked up to see their oldest daughter, walking towards them.

"Jazzypants, how long were you there?"

Jazz smiled sadly. "For several minutes." She walked over slowly and sat down on the other side of her mother. After a moment of silence, Jazz spoke.

"I've been studying psychology for several years now and while I still have a lot to learn about both humans and ghosts, I think I have an idea of what's going on with Vlad." Jazz paused to collect her thoughts. "Vlad's obsession is no stronger than any ghost, not Danny's, or Skulker's, or Clockwork's, or the Box Ghost's even. Every type of obsession pulls just the same, however; the difference comes in the environment the ghost is in. From what I've learned, it seems like a tentative theory could be that ghosts, though they prefer isolation, they actually thrive better when in company of others, be them ghosts or humans. Others can tamper their obsessions through actions or words, damping their ego's and altering their focus, reminding them a bit more what being a human was like. The longer a ghost is in isolation the more vicious they turn. Ghosts like Undergrowth and Vortex are so powerful that they've become very lonely creatures and so they've reverted to a more and more instinctual form and less human in reasoning and thought. As for an example of a ghost that was in fact a human before existing in the Zone, Skulker has isolated himself on his island for a while. It wasn't until he met Danny that he started to socialize and work with other ghosts. He was content to hunt and hunt until his end until Danny came along and make him truly work for his trophy." Jazz paused and shivered at having to call her brother a trophy. "So he started working with other ghosts to get the job done. Sometimes Plasmius and others and then of course he met Ember in the process. I think he's gotten to the point that he respects Danny and this very weird, but complex interaction has tampered his obsession by not supplying immediate satisfaction. This change would also explain his recent confusion. He's become more and more indecisive on what he wants from Danny, his pelt or respect. Even Clockwork isn't exempt from this theory. I think that's why he bothers to talk to the Observants at all and even Danny and now others. He knew he could loose focus, why else would he need anyone to ever know where his lair is otherwise?"

Jack and Maddie looked at each other and then Jazz in slight awe.

Jazz coughed. "Anyways, so Vlad's obsession is no stronger than another. Now why would his obsession drive him to this point?" Jazz grasped her hands together. "I think. I think Vlad has actually tried to push others away, except for Danny and mom of course, but I believe that though they are both his focus, they aren't truly his obsession. He wants control. Control over everything, including who he's with and what the definition of a relationship is. The relationships he has, if any beings are important enough to him, are still superficial." Jazz locked eyes with her parents. "This is because he has and has probably always had Narcissism. He has issues with even empathizing with others, so there is nothing and no one to truly tamper his obsession since he will take no criticism. All this time it's been eating him, slowly. The red flags were there. It started slowly. First he simply tried to impress mom and Danny by offering them things he thought they wanted and dad couldn't provide, when that didn't work, he tried to strand mom and Danny at his home, then came the fighting and the frustration, then the cloning, and pitting me and Danny against each other." Jazz let out a long sigh.

"He sought recognition and acceptance in life, but didn't know how to interact with people the right way, so he sought to control them. Then he half-died. His Narcissism prevented anyone from truly tampering his growing obsession. He started to do things more and more outside his moral comfort zone. Then… finally he found out that you two knew Danny's secret and the last little bit of control he had over his obsession and in turn mom and Danny slipped out of his fingers." Jazz shook her head. "It was in some ways like a trap, not that it fully exonerates him from his actions, because there was some point that he could've realized something wasn't right, but still…" Jazz rested her head in her hand. "The only thing I can't figure out is what happened to make him so bitter. It's one thing to be centered around yourself and manipulative, it's another to want to kill dad. Maybe… you could tell me more about his past if you know anything?"

Maddie and Jack smiled at each other and nodded. Right before Maddie started to speak, she noticed Jazz's body quivering a bit.

"You cold, honey?"

Jazz shivered once more. "I guess. Did anyone turn the temperature down?"

Jack shrugged. "I think Danny does it sometimes or Dani. They both often have their cold cores active by default."

They all paused though in their conversation when they noticed a breath of icy mist float out from Jack's mouth at the end of his words.

"What in the…" Jack murmured.

Maddie narrowed her eyes and glanced around the room, before her eyes opened in horror. Crawling down the banisters were layers of solid ice.

"The kids!" Maddie yelled out in distress. Jack and Jazz jumped up and dashed for the stairs. Once they entered the hallways they could see ice coating the floor, walls and ceiling, slowly creeping down the hall but only from Danny's room. Everyone could now see their breaths.

"Jack, get the axe from the Ops center," Maddie said urgently.

Jack nodded and dashed down the stairs in time for Dani to float down the hall and take his place staring in shock at the ice. Maddie tripped and stumbled over to the door and started to ram her body into the ice coated wood. It hurt and it wasn't probably going to budge any time soon. She wouldn't stop though.

Dani then snapped out of her trance and flew right through Maddie and the door, into Danny's room.

zzz

**Danny's room. 10:02 PM.**

If he'd been more aware he'd have noticed the ice creeping out from his body and coating his bed and everything else it touched. He also would've noticed his connection to his hot core get blocked off and his emotions go completely numb. He didn't though.

Dani flew in and noticed the the bump under the icy covers. She broke the thin ice away only to find Danny practically coated in his own ice shell. His shoulders up were the only things not iced. The thing that bothered Dani the most though, was that her brother's face was blue like Vlad's and his hair was white and stiff, glittering with bits of ice. He'd transformed while sleeping, but he'd still freeze to death if he kept getting colder.

The truth of the matter was that as half-humans, she and Danny could never master Cyrokinesis like full ice core ghosts could. Some ice core ghosts could almost reach absolute zero, which was a feat many scientists would be jealous of. Ghost had no flesh that could be damaged by severely cold temperatures. It wasn't that Danny and Dani's cores could produce the same effects; it was that it would kill them long before they got close.

At this point in time, Danny was getting dangerously cold.

"Danny stop it! Snap out of it!" Dani yelped. She grasped his head and shook it ever so carefully. He merely let out a freezing breath. The tears on Dani's cheeks started to freeze in contact with the air around them now. Their flesh could take freezing temperatures much better than normal humans before hypothermia or frostbite ate at them, but everything was cooling much too quickly.

"This isn't fair!" Dani screeched. "How dare you! You can't leave me like this!" Dani then started punching the ice around his torso as hard as she could, causing splitters of ice to fly everywhere. Her eyes glowed blue as she removed even more with her own Cyrokinesis. Danny just kept forming more in its place. Dani wailed and punched the ice harder, not noticing the green that was starting to dot the clear ice. "I stayed! I stayed for this family and for you! You can't just give up right now! You can't!" Dani shut her eyes and a few more tears froze near her eyes.

"Your hands…"

Dani's eyes snapped open and she saw some of the ice move away so that Danny could rub his hand over Dani's green stained knuckles. Some of the ice started to melt away and a flush of color started to bloom in Danny's face and black threaded its way back into his hair. It was strange to see him transform in a way that lacked his ring.

"Danny."

Danny frowned as he slowly sat up, the ice still trying to fade. "Dani I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking about you or anyone else. I just wanted to hide and to keep myself from freaking out. I made a promise to my family once to never become a monster… but I forgot that I never gave you a promise."

Dani blinked as the tears frozen near her eyes melted and more liquid formed. Danny hugged her tightly as a banging started on the door and the ice still there broke some. Danny stared at the ground intently as a surge of determination came through him. He had to be stronger than this. If he'd learned anything from fighting ghosts, it was that giving up never ended with a happy result.

"I will never ever leave you."

Dani buried her head into his shoulder, wondering how he could dare to make a promise like that. Especially know that the world knew what he was and soon no doubt who she was.

Finally with one last bang the door caved in under the force of the blow and the weight of the ice. Jack, Maddie and Jazz ran in to see the two siblings holding each other.

The family drew close.

"Danny are you okay?" Maddie asked.

Danny nodded quietly. "I… I just am afraid now that everyone knows. What if they don't see me or Dani as human anymore?"

Jazz looked at her brother sadly. "So your cold core reacted to your desire to not feel that fear and numbed you." Danny didn't answer but only nodded.

Jack and Maddie looked at each other before frowning. Jack looked back at Danny and spoke.

"It'll be okay everyone. We'll get through this." He then almost crushed his family with his arms in a large hug. Most everyone smiled at least a little even if they needed air.

"Danny honey and you too, Dani, do you need something to warm you both up? You're both freezing."

"Yeah, that would probably be nice," Dani replied to their mother.

"I think we all could use a warming up. It was cold in that hallway little bro," Jazz added, sniffling a bit.

"I'll heat some water and make some soup," Maddie answered, prompting Jack to release everyone from his hold.

An untold message seemed to pass among the family as everyone moved to leave Danny's room. They probably wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

zzz

**Manson Residence. 9:20 PM.**

Sam stared at her home through the tented car window, trying to gain enough nerve to get out of the car.

"Are you alright miss?" the driver asked, genuinely concerned about one of his dearest costumers.

Sam nodded slowly. "Yeah I guess. Just enjoying my freedom while it's still guaranteed here."

The driver gave her an understanding smile. "If it's any consolation, Miss Manson… I don't think of Mister Fenton any differently. Really it's astounding that he's been able to go for so long living two lives… er-"

"I understand your meaning. Thank you, Kyle. I appreciate it a lot and I know Danny would too."

"You have called David, right?"

"Yeah, oddly enough he was already looking over the Anti-Ecto Act before I'd called him. I guess he just knows me almost as well as you guys do."

"Perhaps."

Sam let out a long sigh before leaning up to pass the money through to the front seat.

Kyle shook his head. "Never mind the money this time, Miss Manson. This one's on me."

Sam stood their awkwardly in the car for a moment before smiling. "Thank you, Kyle."

"Good luck, Miss Manson."

Sam then got out of the car and waved to Kyle as he drove off. She then turned and faced the building again. Looking around and seeing no one on the street, she let out a relieved sigh. She could understand people being a bit more cautious at approaching the Fenton Residence due to their security system and the fact they were probably scared of Danny or other ghosts that may defend them, but why there weren't people around her home made her wonder. _And what about Tucker? I wonder if he's gotten the chance to really talk to his parents yet. They seemed eerily calm at the Hospital before and then there's Valerie's dad…_

Sam shook her head and walked towards the door. She knocked.

"I'm sorry but the Mansons are not taking statements at this time."

"Hobson, it's me, Sam."

There was a bit of quiet, where Sam knew Hobson would be checking to make sure it was her by looking through the peep-hole. The door then opened the Hobson ushered her inside.

"I'm so glad you've returned, miss. Your parents have been rather worried."

Sam sighed in controlled frustration. "I can imagine."

The two walked into the large living room to see Ida sitting on her scooter, weaving something, Pamela rubbing her hands together and Jeremy arguing harshly with someone on the phone.

"What do you mean, 'you haven't found anything.'!?" A pause. "I'm not paying you to run around with your head up your caboose!"

"Hey, everyone." Sam finally offered.

Ida looked up and gave a calm smile while Pamela stood up sharply, gapping. Jeremy quickly hung up and moved forward and Sam was embraced by her mother.

"Oh Sammykins… Sammy." Pamela murmured.

Sam was a little stunned at first, because it really sounded like her parents had been worried. She'd been expecting loud voices from the start.

"Where on earth have you been, young lady?" Jeremy finally asked.

Hobson left the room as the real conversation started.

"I had to go help Danny."

Jeremy and Pamela gave each other a look. Before Pamela spoke up.

"But dear, why?"

Sam felt a bit of defensiveness bubble up inside her. She tried to remember how calm Danny tried to be in these sorts of situations but couldn't help but get angry.

"What do you mean why?! Because I love him!" Sam snapped folding her arms.

Pamela immediately reacted to her daughter's answer while Jeremy seemed more or less confused.

"But Sammy, he's a ghost! He hasn't hurt you or that Foley boy, has he? I knew he was a bad seed."

Sam shook her head viciously. "Typical. You immediately have to throw this all on Danny. Danny isn't just a ghost. He's still biologically human too. He needs food, water, shelter, oxygen, everything!"

Jeremy furrowed his brows. "How is that even possible though?"

"It just is, okay? He's not dead."

Pamela huffed. "Those Fentons they just had to make everything complicated didn't they? I bet the reports are right and they caused their boy's condition. What did they expect from tampering with such strange things?"

Sam subtly grit her teeth, all the while Ida was watching quietly.

"Actually it wasn't their fault at all. They did create the portal, but it wasn't working. I was the one dare Danny to go into it. If anything it's my fault he's a Halfa."

"A what?" Jeremy questioned.

"It's a term for a half-ghost," Sam replied.

Pamela started getting a bit hysterical. "He could've done anything to you. What on earth were you thinking, sticking around with him!? And dating the boy?! That's just unacceptable!"

"Why is it 'unacceptable'?" Sam asked with a bit of bitter sarcasm.

Pamela stopped and looked at her daughter quietly. "Honey… If you really love him like you say you do and you were maybe planning on marrying him one day, did it not occur to you that he could poison you with his… um…"

Jeremy swallowed. "His seed?"

Sam froze for a moment, not quite understanding their meaning until it came crashing down on her. Really she knew the thought of taking that next step had crossed her or Danny's mind once or twice, with mere glances or unspoken words, but up to this point they'd never done, IT. Some part of them had pictured maybe late college or after marriage, seeing as they simply didn't require that to be happy with each other. But now this. What if Danny could poison her with ectoplasm? Every one of his cells was laced with ectoplasm so even if Clockwork had subtly explained to Danny that he was still healthy in that regard, did that even mean they could still be compatible one day? She wondered if Danny had thought of it. Knowing him, probably not. But then a calm feeling came back threw her raging mind and made her realize it didn't matter. So far she hadn't been poisoned by a kiss or by holding hands or sharing drinks or even getting his blood into her own small cuts. Even if it was more dangerous in THAT case, it wouldn't stop her from loving him.

"It doesn't matter."

"Excuse me?" Pamela aksed in confusion, sure that her daughter had been using that time to come to reason. Ida merely smiled and bowed her head, wishing her husband could see this.

"I love Danny for Danny. Even if we can't… I love him."

Jeremy seemed to grow quieter.

"And about the other stuff, yeah… Danny could've done a lot of terrible things. Horrible things, but he didn't. But you know who did?" Sam asked, getting her bravery back. She looked her parents right in the eyes. "Vlad. The mayor you thought was a perfect role model, the man you voted for, the billionaire, the businessman in the perfect suit and his face on every magazine. He had the same opportunities as Danny. He took them and ran with them and Danny didn't. If anything Danny could've gotten all the money he wanted and everything he could've dreamed of by going to Vlad. Then he would've been perfect for you. A lying, rich, thief of a suitor, hm?"

"I guess you're right," Jeremy replied, surprising both Pamela and Sam. "However, Danny as still been skipping school, stealing, kidnapping, and damaging property. He may bit a bit better than Vlad, but not much, honey. Don't you see we're just worried about your choices, here?"

Sam felt a bit of appreciation rush through her at the tone of her father's voice. It had love in there and it wasn't a demand; she didn't feel the need to push farther away.

"Dad." Sam sighed. "Let me explain, please."

Jeremy nodded while Pamela seemed to try hard to quiet herself even if she was wondering what in the word her husband was thinking.

"Danny skipped school to fight ghosts, or heal from fighting ghosts or because he'd been kidnapped. He didn't do it to rebel like maybe I would've a few years ago. All he ever wanted was to be an astronaut, but I took that away from him. So he fought ghosts, protecting people from danger even when they hated him. He stole because he was forced to by Freakshow-"

"The anemic clown man?" Jeremy asked.

Sam nodded. "You were right about him." He froze. "Not the individuality or the intrigue of the bizarre, but the man…" She returned to her explanation. "He used a staff to control ghosts against their will to steal for him. Danny was susceptible because of his ghost half. He had a day or two gap in his memories from that incident and when he found out that he'd injured those police officers, he was crushed. The property damage is from the fights with ghosts. What do you expect? You don't blame a firefighter for property damage if they have t break down a door do you? Also, because ghosts don't need to sleep like he does, he ends up staying awake long after everyone, including Tucker and me, to fight ghosts that come at night. He never has time to do homework or study. And the mayor thing was a misunderstanding. The Mayor had been overshadowed or possessed and the ghost inside wanted to make everyone believe that Danny had hurt the mayor."

Sam held out her hands pleadingly. "Don't you see. Danny's one of the most selfless people you'll ever know. He's completely innocent in all of this!"

Pamela seemed to be worriedly rubbing her hands again and Jeremy was frowning. It wasn't really that they didn't believe their daughter now, but there was still one thing that concerned them.

"I guess you're right, but…" Jeremy started, making Sam confused. "Even if he's a hero and a good boy, this is dangerous, Sammy, dangerous and risky to be around him at all. I'm just not sure me and your mother are okay with you being with him."

"But-"

Pamela sighed. "I… I just don't know Sammykins."

"Now hold on a moment."

Everyone looked over to see Ida moving her scooter forward to be closer to her family.

"Yes it's true. Maybe Danny does bring trouble, but this is a once in a life time opportunity you could be taking from your daughter, Jeremy, Pam."

"Mother…" Jeremy started but he was silenced with a comical glare form the older woman.

"Let me speak, dearie. Now what was I saying… oh yes. Let's keep in mind what these kids have been doing. They've been saving lives, protecting innocent people, while still trying to get a good education all at once. Considering everything, I'd say they've been doing a pretty amazing job. Not to mention I'm sure that boy would throw his life away to protect anyone much less his friends and family. They're really no different from soldiers as harsh as that is. Those friends that you've tried so hard to separate Sam from have helped her grow. The boys keep her grounded and that new Gray girl has even helped give Sam girl time."

Sam groaned and slapped her face.

"The little spitfire was able to convince Sam to buy colored clothing, even if it wasn't too different and only two pieces. That's what good friends are supposed to do, accept a person for who they are and maybe try to push them out of their comfort zone, reasonably at least.

Pamela looked at Sam in shock. "You have colored clothing?"

"It's just a green shirt and one pale dress. It's not… it's not real that big of a deal."

Ida interrupted and continued her spiel. "This is potentially true love. A kind of love that people dream of, write about, wish for…" Ida gestured grandly. "That boy is willing to do anything for your girl. He'd give his life to protect her or even just to make her happy." Ida looked at her son and daughter closely. "Is that not the kind of man a father dreams of for his daughter?"

Pamela let out a long sigh, while Jeremy relaxed and dropped his hands to his sides. "I suppose."

Sam was looking at everyone there as though they were crazy. "Wait, you mean it?"

Jeremy turned to face his daughter. "Sammy. We do love you. I know sometimes you think we don't, but-"

"We've always just wanted what's… I mean what we thought was best for you. I guess that's just the problem, we didn't give you enough freedom to make good choices."

Sam's face softened a bit.

"I just hope Danny will be okay," Pamela spoke finally then looked at her husband. "I mean what will the government do about this?"

Sam gulped and stared at the ground. "Yeah..."

After several minutes of quiet, the family said good night to Sam, giving a few, slightly awkward hugs before she walked off to her room.

Ida hummed, grabbing Jeremy and Pamela's attention. "Now we can do nothing more for them."

Pamela and Jeremy both seemed confused and gave each other a look.

Ida looked at Jeremy and Pamela with a soft smile. "I'm proud of you both. I know you got a bit distracted and caught up with what you thought she needed, but she just needs time. Time and for you accept some of her interests. You'll see, she'll never be exactly what you imagined, but then again that would be boring, now wouldn't it?" Ida started to laugh at what seemed to be an inside joke of her own design, making Jeremy and Pamela wonder a bit at the old woman, motoring towards her room for the night.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? Like I said before, I hope Vlad's backstory was helpful and done well enough. Also I hope I didn't make Danny too... uh wimpy? melodramatic? He wasn't really trying to kill himself or anything, he was more or less trying to escape reality and his core overacted to his stress. Really Dread was the emotion I was wanting to push the most that and a sense of hopelessness, we are talking about the government and a super-powered human.**

**Also, bam, Sam's parents. What about that? I didn't want it to really be a screaming match and they're both still unsure about the whole thing, but Ida's there to help them out.**

**And Jazz's theory. This is supposed to give a bit more explanation behind Vlad. His human mentality and his ghost mentality have been clashing against each other for a long time. The Narcissism even explains why Vlad was pretty rude and still pretty whack in Masters of Time. The trauma of losing his friends and all their family, as well as watching Danny's human half be slaughtered also helped break down Vlad's self created image in TUE as well, making him actually realize mistakes. Regardless more things about all of this will be explained later as well as where Jack and Maddie were during the time Vlad was in the hospital.**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**Force Smuggler: Was sort of hoping that Dan would go help save Danny. Guess you are saving something big for him for later?**

**NoSignal: Naw, not yet. Dan still needs some more time with Clockwork. He'll come though eventually and his own destiny will start forming with time.**

**Yumistar: Are you efging telling me...that the real-real Vlad is only NOW getting control?! Well, Damn!**

**NoSignal: Well kinda, not exactly. Vlad's more or less fighting between different versions of himself that's he's manufactured.**

**Great: how did Vlad escape from his chaotic state? The Blood blossoms?**

**NoSignal: It was more or less a mixture of things. He heard Danny scream and wondered why his 'son' was hurting so much and then everyone was saying things and stuff was happening and he sorta just snapped out of it due to over load.**

**Rey129: Is Amity Park going to stand behind and help Danny out when it comes to the government, just like the teens helped him get away from the IiW (my nickname for them, take a guess what the first I stands fore) in Reality Trip? Also, I hope Vlad gets better soon! I have a feeling all the halfas, plus Dan are going to be needed against Manus now that he has Pariah under his control. And do the IiW finally lose their credibility soon? Or even their existence? That would be Christmas and birthday for me all rolled up into one.**

**NoSignal: I can't say yet, though I think the next chapter will have things really start to happen with the authorities, the students, media, etc. I have trouble knowing just how chapters will pan out sometimes. I think everyone will be surprised about how the GiW will fit into this. I have a plan for them and I don't believe I've seen anyone really take this route my way before. Vlad will take some time and thought. It's funny, though Dan and Vlad both have their problems, the emotions and ideas I have behind them when I write them are pretty different. The mind is a curious thing. Ah yes, there will need to be a lot of help and luck to fight Malus.**

**Sunrise Moon 2: Also, for some reason i was a little suprised when Clockwork said that Dan was disappearing. I guess I forgot that Dan is from the future and therefore if Danny were to do stuff differently than how Dan remembers that would mean that he would cease to exist.**

**NoSignal: Well actually it's not so much that Dan is from the future that he's disappearing. He's no longer connected to Danny and won't simply disappear because of Danny's choices anymore (I have reasons behind why that is, but they won't be explained until much later in the story) Dan is disappearing because he doesn't feel as strong of a drive to destroy or really a drive to do anything. He no longer has a purpose, an obsession, so he's fading.**

**AlienGhostWizard14: Question: Is the true battle going to be its own fic, like a sequel or something, or will it be in he one?**

**NoSignal: It will happen in this fic and will not be it's own story. Pondus Omnium is Pondus Omnium ;)**

**Guest: I just want to say that this is possibly the best DP fanfic I've read.**

**NoSignal: Thank you so much for your kind words! I don't think it's amazing or anything, but I like to think it's decent enough :)**

**BoredomPersonified: Question: do you plan on utilizing some of the lesser known/used ghosts; like Ghost Writer? He can be a monumentally powerful character but is often seldom used.**

**Are we ever going to see or hear about The Reaper again? How did the Reaper come into existence? What is his backstory? Is he the First Ghost?**

**How did the Ghost Zone form?**

**You have definitely made one of the better DP stories on this sight recently. A lot of the other good stories were finished or discontinued a long time ago. Good job, and keep up the good work! :)**

**NoSignal: Thank you so very much for your words. It means a lot to me. I hope that I can make it to the end of this story. I have a detailed outline of the rest of it. As well as the very last words of the story as well (I tend to do that to motive myself more). As for your questions: I will try my best at using the other less mentioned ghosts. I do recognize that ghost like the Ghost Writer don't get used very often and I would like to have them play some kind of role (I think the one problem with the Ghost Writer, as well as Desiree is that their powers are really sorta OP and hard to balance in stories not focused on them. (They're sorta both like 'living' Reality Gauntlets) I do have an idea for them both, I just can't exactly promise to make them as prevalent as some of the others.**

**Yes the Reaper will be mentioned and seen again. His personality will be shown as well as how he was formed/same goes for Wormhole.**

**How did the Ghost Zone form? Well that might be sorta of mentioned or hinted at indirectly, we'll see.**

**Thanks again!**

**jellybeansbabe: I don't read too many fics that consider him to be an actual character to be developed. But Vlad has got me troubled. I understand how it's possible he could go off the deep end like this, but perhaps you could elaborate more on what caused his descent into madness. It seems like it happened so quickly so it feels ooc. I know you mentioned it had to do with his obsession being threatened or something like that, but I feel there could be more explanation on his thought process during that change.**

**NoSignal: Yeah Dan is seldom looked into other than 'he's that psychopath that Danny could have been' in most stories. To be honest I felt much the same way for a long time (I do believe he can even be made into an interesting villain too. Most of the time villains like Dan suffer from true lack of motivation. You never really know why they want to rule the world or destroy it/however I've always believed that in his case, you could make him complex while still having him wanting to destroy the world. (I actually have a quote planned for when Dan gets angry at some of the characters. He gives a little look into his point of view and why he not only killed, but why he killed so many) Regardless, the idea to try and give him redeemable qualities came from someone on devianart that makes a comic about Dan, the name is Krossan. I started from that point on to feel more pity for Dan, thus why I chose to right a story that looked more into him as a character and what could've been.**

**As for Vlad, thank you for mentioning your concerns. I do want to know if anything sticks out. for some reason Vlad is difficult and scary to write because of how complex and all over his character is. (Does he want Maddie? Danny? Love? The world? What exactly motivates him?) I hope this chapter explained some things and eased your concerns and questions. Please tell me if there is still something amiss. I'm at a point where I can still make adjustments for Vlad's future appearances and talks/interactions with other characters.**

**Thanks for your support!**

**Guest(MissTori): I just want to say that you are an amazing writer and that this story sssoooo Freakin AWESOME. I love it so much! Hope you write more soon! DannyxSam Forever! *clears throat* sorry I got 2 into that. Anyway I greatly respect you for making such a wonderful story.( I love the quotes)**

**NoSignal: Welcome to the Story Tori (lol rhyme) Anyways, thank you so much for your review and support! You happened to review almost right as I was finishing editing this chapter! Surprise!**

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**Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc!**

**I hope to keep you all entertained!**

**~NoSignal**


	24. Helicopters

**Hey everyone. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it a decent amount. Still nothing super exciting and mostly more events that are context for later things. I like it though.**

**Anyways. Next chapter should be up two weeks from now. Sorry I was a bit late, I had issues with my power (in turn, my internet).**

**Also don't forget to check out my poll!**

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zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.__"__ ~ Margaret Mead._

zzz

**Foley Residence. 7:23 AM.**

-Bing-

-Bing-

-Bing—Bing-

-Bing-

-Bing—Bing—Bing-

-Bing—Bing-

-Bing-

Tucker groaned in pure irritation as he opened his dry and red eyes. "That's what you get Foley, for not taking out your contacts before bed."

"Get up! Get up right now, child, and shut off your accursed computer! It has been making the irritating dinging noise all night."

Tucker looked over at the thermos under his bedside table. After getting Technus to heal Valerie, he'd been unable to go the night before and return the ghost to the portal. "Computer?"

-Bing-

Tucker sighed and got up, walking over to his desk and seeing that he had hundreds if not thousands of emails in his inbox. Some of them had subject titles that were less than kind. Tucker grit his teeth and turned his monitor and system off. "As if strangers could understand."

"Will you be taking me back now!?" Technus semi-demanded.

Tucker walked over and squatted so Technus could hear him clearly. "Yes I'm going to, after I visit Valerie at the hospital. She's been discharged."

"Hmm…" Technus was quiet for a moment as Tucker went through the motions of getting dressed for the day. Because of the botched field trip, Casper's schools had been canceled for the next several days; the business with Danny and Vlad might have only added to that, but it wasn't publicly stated. "Is it true that Plasmius went coo-coo and revealed himself and the ghost child?"

Tucker paused, wondering if answering truthfully would come back to hurt him or his friends. "Yeah, he did."

Technus snorted and was silent a moment longer before he asked another question. "How have the humans taken it?"

Tucker walked over, fully dressed, before picking up the thermos. "They're afraid. I'm guessing the Guys in White are going to come soon. Honestly I need to go to Danny's for that reason as well as to release you."

"So they will take him and not even let him speak?"

"Normally, yes, but Sam has been working on something with a lawyer… I don't know. The government hasn't said anything."

"Ah taking it to court?"

"Maybe."

Technus then got very quiet and Tucker didn't speak either as he walked down the stairs to face his parents that morning. He wasn't sure why, but his parents had hardly talked to him since everything had gone down and it was a bit unnerving.

"Morning."

Angela glanced up as she placed some breakfast in front of Maurice. "Oh, morning sweetie."

Tucker frowned at the plain greeting and moved down the stairs.

"Want some breakfast, son?" Maurice asked and took a sip from his coffee cup.

Tucker walked up to the table, but didn't sit. He hooked the thermos to his belt and then gave his parents a critical look. "Okay, what the heck? Why are you guys so mellow?"

Angela sighed and put down her cup before glancing at Maurice. He was the first to speak. "To be honest Tucker, we were kinda relieved to know the truth."

"Parents say what?" Tucker rambled in response, rising both brows.

His mother smiled shakily. "We had been concerned about what you were doing with Danny and Sam all this time. We felt a bit more assured you weren't doing anything bad when Valerie became your girlfriend." She paused. "But now we know the truth and we're proud of the good you did and the loyalty you showed your friend."

Tucker's face slowly softened. "Wow mom, dad… I don't know what to say."

Maurice got up and walked over before hugging Tucker and Angela when she joined. "There's not much to say. I don't know what will happen now that the public knows Danny's secret, but I feel it's honestly the right thing to do to stay behind him and his family."

"They may have been somewhat troublesome in the past and them meddling with ghostly things was a bit frightening, but your friend has been saving peoples' lives."

"Although I would like some explanation behind some of the less pleasant things Daniel did." Maurice suddenly added.

Tucker nodded as the family untangled themselves from each other. "I'll explain everything. I need to go visit Valerie first though. It's important that I do. Can you guys trust me with some things just a little bit longer?"

Maurice and Angela shared a glance before Angela looked Tucker in the eyes. "Tucker, is it something you believe in with all your heart?"

Tucker gave her a determined nod. "Yes, no doubt."

"Okay then," Maurice breathed out. "Just a bit longer, then explanations."

Tucker nodded and turned to walk out. His hand was on the front door knob when he heard his mother's voice.

"Be careful."

His cheekily reply was, "I would be very dead by now if I wasn't careful. Heck careful is my favorite word or maybe my new middle name!" He rambled until he shut the door behind himself.

Angela glanced up at Maurice who was still looking at the door. "Do you think we did the right thing?"

Maurice let out a very long sigh. "I hope."

zzz

**Hospital. 8:01 AM.**

It had been a bit harder to get to the hospital than Tucker had hoped. When he'd exited his home, he'd happened to exit at the same time that a reporter from some kind of news channel was doing a small segment about him and his family regarding his possible involvement of knowing Danny's secret. The young man and his cameraman had practically chased the poor boy down the street until a bit of convincing from Tucker prompted Technus to make him 'disappear' in a dead end, past a corner.

Once they'd gotten to the hospital, he'd given Technus another apology before having him to return to the thermos.

"I am not one of those pocket monsters the hip kids are crazy about you know!?" Technus offered, in irritation from the confines of the thermos.

"You mean, pokémon?" Tucker asked with a cocked brow.

"Yes dem, with the empowered pets."

Tucker rolled his eyes and walked inside the lobby after telling Technus he needed to be quiet for a bit. After talking with the lady at the counter, he found that Valerie had already been discharged. Before he could leave, he saw Valerie and her father walking down the hall towards them.

Damon got one quick look at Tucker and grabbed his daughter's arm. "Oh no. Come on Valerie."

Valerie halted in her tracks, as Tucker looked between the two in mild shock. "Dad, let go!"

"No, you won't be around them. Not anymore. I won't stand for this."

"But Dad!"

"No Valerie."

"Mr. Gray?" Tucker offered, only for the angered adult to round on him.

"You stay away from my daughter, you understand? If it wasn't for Fenton, Valerie would've never gotten involved in any of this."

Valerie got very angry at this comment. "I also would've never known what it was like to have true friends or find someone who loves me!"

Damon and Tucker both stared at Valerie in equal parts shock and awe.

"Valerie, we're going home and we aren't going to get involved in any of this, period."

"Dad! It wasn't Danny's fault this happened, it was Vlad's!" Valerie then lowered her voice when the three noticed a couple people in the lobby videoing the conversation.

"May I at least talk with you someplace else, Mr. Gray? I honestly came here just to see how Valerie was."

Damon let out an slow but slightly uneven exhale. "No. I'm sorry Tucker, but I can't."

"Dad!" Valerie replied, not being able to help her reaction.

Damon turned his head and stared at her. "End of discussion."

Valerie narrowed her eyes at her father. "You can't make me go with you." She then thrust her arms out as though to put on her suit.

Nothing happened.

Valerie tried again and the same results answered her. "What? What wrong?" She looked at Tucker as if he had answers but he seemed just as shocked as her. Tucker glanced down when he felt Technus rattle quietly against his hip.

"You can't use…" Damon shook his head and then gestured to the exit. "Now."

Valerie gave Tucker a look and he only gave her a weak smile. "It's okay, Val. I'm glad you're healthy again."

Valerie looked at Tucker and nodded. "Thanks. I'll see you later?"

Tucker looked at Damon and got a slight glare in response. "I…" Tucker stared at the floor and the gave Valerie a mischievous smile. "I guess Time will tell."

Valerie seemed to get his hidden message. She turned and walked off with Damon, before Tucker whipped out his PDA and walked out. Hacking into those people's phones and deleting that one video from each of them was easy; sure it was illegal, but hey they had no shame if they were willing to video something like that.

Once he was in a quiet alleyway, in between his house and Sam's, he let Technus out.

"What is it?"

Technus folded his arms. "I heard the conversation you had with the ex-Huntress."

"Oh and… wait, ex-Huntress?" Tucker asked in suspicion.

Technus let out a sigh. "In order to heal her from the nano-bots, I had to purge everything electronic from her system. I hardly could pick and choose without being able to see the entire system under proper equipment and settings. I knew we were pressed for time and so I figured you'd prefer her life as the most optimal option."

"You mean…?" Tucker whispered.

"She no longer has her suit I bestowed her. She is entirely a normal human child again."

Tucker was silent for a few moments to let that settle in. "Okay… thanks Technus."

"Technus didn't reply before he allowed himself to be sucked into the thermos once more. So Valerie no longer had her battle suit? Tucker pondered over the consequence of that as well as how Valerie would handle it. Something told him she wouldn't be happy.

It was then that he heard the sound of a helicopter. Looking over head he spotted four different ones. Two of them had the letters of the GiW on them, while the third was completely black and the last was a news copter.

They were heading in the direction of FentonWorks. Tucker felt the blood drain from his face and he vaguely thought he would pass out. Of course he knew they would come and of course he knew they would come soon, but he was sorta suddenly hit with the reality that they _came_ and they _had come soon_.

He took off running in the direction of FentonWorks, noticing the city had gotten even busier than it had moments before. People and cars, both, were heading towards the same direction at different speeds.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 3:32 AM. Earlier that Morning.**

When you wrote it down on paper or even tried to describe it to someone, everything about it sounded ridiculous.

A hybrid man floating through a parallel world full of dead people and ectoplasmic entities, while holding a _diet soda_.

Yep sounded _completely_ sane and never the less, it was what was occurring. Vlad had eventually gotten to the point where he knew he had to either lie down and wait for his illness to kill him or he could stop pitying himself for a little bit and try to find other options. The businessman in Vlad always tended to look for more options; it was only logical.

So, recalling the various places he'd researched when learning about the Zone and the powers the Infi-map had over portals, he'd travelled to a natural portal which he knew lead to the Ghost Zone of his own time, when it opened.

It hadn't been easy, teleporting in spurts to reach the Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua. The natural portal there could be accessed by humans, if it wasn't partially engulfed in the lava within the caldera. This, however, was no problem for a ghost or hybrid that could go intangible. With a stolen diet soda in hand, Vlad dove into the volcano and used his intangibility in order not to be fried to a crisp.

Now he was in the Ghost Zone, searching for a virtually non-sentient ectoplasmic creature. Before long, even in his weak state, Vlad had dispatched a small bird-like creature and mixed its ectoplasm with the soda. As much as the idea of eating raw ectoplasm from a previously existing creature disgusted him, he didn't have the equipment available to condense atmospheric ectoplasm. He obviously couldn't return to his homes or labs and a twinge of hurt and sorrow entered his heart at the thought of his sweet cat being alone when the feds would come and invade the mansion.

He ruefully downed the drink and could already feel some of his pain vanish and his energy return. Unfortunately he felt his core wasn't balanced like the cure had done for him before.

"Snicker-doodles!" Vlad hissed and gripped his chest. "Why didn't it work properly? I did the same thing as it was done last time." Vlad grumbled in frustration before transforming into his human form. As much as his ghost form intimidated most creatures he knew in the Zone, the ability to move through constructs was more helpful for the time being, especially since he was mostly stuck in the Zone now and being arrested here wouldn't turn out well for him.

He decided to walk about the island he'd ended up in and saw that it was mostly sparsely forested and seemed to match the environment of the Central Americas. Across a gap of space, Vlad could see another island, filled with some type of ancient columns and though he was a very learned man, he found himself unable to identify what culture they came from. Feeling that place would put him more at ease than a false jungle, he jumped off the edge only to plant his feet on the side and push off, gliding like he normally did in ghost form. Once near, he grabbed the other island's edge and hefted himself up.

It was somewhat barren, though it did have a few buildings to match the style of the chipped and broken pillars. He simply walked throughout the empty place for a while, passing time and inspecting everything. This would likely be a good place to rest while he thought through his current options, no matter how meager they were.

He froze though, when he felt a cold dread settled in his chest, like his ghost sense often caused. Vlad didn't have a visible sense like Danny, but he always felt a flush of heat through him when a ghost was around; this was a bit different though, as the bit of dread came, but no flush of heat. He immediately wanted to play it off as his core being imbalanced, but that was before he caught sight of a hell-hound sniffing around the island.

He almost tripped backwards in an attempt to hide himself. The hell-hound was most definitely Malus' creation and because of the chain of events that had occurred, he at least knew that he no longer had the ability to reason or fight with such a creature.

When he'd first come up with the plan to take over the world, using the crown and ring, he'd learned of Malus in his studies. There wasn't much written about him, even in the Ghost Writer's library, which was the only one he technically had access to mind you, so he knew very little. Seeing the evil being's power appear when Daniel had fought the Ectopus had been merely troublesome, but that was when he had had a plan to gather all the artifacts for himself in case Malus did make a return one day during his earthly rule. After all this time, he still didn't know which of the three items could harm such a deadly being.

What he knew for certain was that touching the hell-hound would be bad and painful and even though he'd seen Daniel survive it, something made him feel unsure he would, especially with his core in the state it was.

Vlad eyed it intently through a thin crack in a wall. It walked about, sniffing every place it could, leaving behind cracks and aged damage where it touched. It was hatred; it was death.

When the creature came close to Vlad's hiding place, Vlad made the decision to dive into the floor intangibly and hope he could keep it up long enough for the hound to leave. After several minutes, it turned and sprinted towards the edge before leaping off and rushing away through the empty space of the Zone.

Vlad rose and let out a gasp, from holding his breath for so long. A curious look crossed his face. "What is Malus searching for?"

zzz

**Sam. 8:23 AM. Back to a more Current time.**

Sam left her home through a back window to avoid various reporters that come to ask her questions about dating a dead guy. It was annoying and rude, the things they were asking; the most unsettling word that she kept hearing was necrophilia over and over. It wasn't that. Danny wasn't a corpse or even a walking corpse; he had a living body that had adapted to the changes ectoplasm had done to him.

Regardless of that, she needed to get to Danny; she'd heard helicopters.

She rushed through alleyways and shortcuts she and her friends knew in order to avoid the main crowds of people and cars. The crowds were getting thicker, the closer she got to FentonWorks. When she was finally forced to exit her secret pathways and get on the main street, she almost ran right over Kwan.

"Whoa!"

"Watch it!"

"Where do you think-"

The flurry of complaints stopped, when everyone there recognized the other's faces.

"Manson?" Dash asked.

Sam huffed and put her hands on her hips. "No, I'm actually Santa Claus."

Dash frowned at that, before Paulina spoke, "What's happened? Where's Danny?"

Sam paused at the odd sense of concern in Paulina's voice and she noticed that the A-listers were all paying complete attention to her. "I… FentonWorks."

The small group noticed several other people walk towards them and saw they were Norman, Mikey, Lester, Brandon, AJ, Brad and the others that had come on the trip.

"So then this crowd…" Brandon murmured and Sam nodded slowly.

"I… I need to go." Sam started to turn, before Star's voice interrupted her.

"Wait!"

She looked back over her shoulder to see Star giving her a determined expression. "We want to help, however we can."

"Yeah! Danny's been helping us all this time." Dash added.

"Even in the Zone." Norman offered.

"This is a breach of his rights," Brad expressed, getting strange looks. "What? I know some law terminology. I watch cop shows and stuff."

"Yeah, this is messed up, yo." AJ nodded.

"Sam, I asked my brother to represent Danny."

Sam looked at Star closely. "But I already asked someone to represent him."

"Who?" Star asked, surprised. "David said he-"

"David?" Sam parroted. "Wait…" Sam facepalmed. "Duh, David _Hudson_. Hudson is your last name. I can't believe I missed that."

Star smiled. "Well at least we're on the same page."

Sam gave her a weak smile before she remembered what was happening. They all shared a look before running off towards the commotion down the street.

zzz

**Gray Residence. 8:20 AM.**

Anger seemed to be the only emotion that could be contributed to Valerie for the last few years. Anger from loosing her mother, anger from loosing her popularity, anger at Phantom, anger at Vlad and now she was, of all things, angry with her father. It was starting to become a really annoying pattern.

"Dad-" Valerie tried, right after the door swung closed.

"No TV, no internet, no phones until I deem it okay," Damon rambled off.

This of course left Valerie gapping in shock. "You, you can't do that!"

"I'm your father and that's the rule."

"Then I'll leave."

"You'll have to run from the police-"

Valerie narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, because they will totally focus on one run away teen when Vlad's still loose."

Damon's face when from somewhat passive to angered. "Valerie, enough of this!"

"No!" Valereie shouted. "I won't stand by! I won't stand by and watch an innocent boy be murdered! Mother fought for the rights of people and she would agree with me, I know it!"

"Don't bring your mother into this. Besides, you can't murder something that's already dead!" Damon yelled back, not thinking about his words.

Valerie froze in shock before she rested her head in her hand. "I can't believe you. I simply cannot believe you'd say that about Danny."

"Honey, he's a ghost."

"He's not just a ghost!" Valerie screamed. "And even if he was, that's no excuse!"

Damon stared. "I thought you hated ghosts, Valerie."

Valerie sighed and sat down on one of the chairs. "I did. I did with ever fiber of my being, until I found out the truth about who Danny Phantom was. I found out he was the hero and Vlad was the villain. I found out ghosts have emotions and dreams and wishes even if they don't have a pulse. Hell dad-" She finally looked up to lock eyes with him. "I went and met Father Time himself, the literal controller of time's movement."

Damon didn't have much to say to that and only continued to stare at his daughter.

"This whole thing is wrong, so wrong. Tucker saved my life in the hospital and Danny's saved my life before. I've never been more happy to have friends than I have with them," Valerie expressed, hardly noticing the tears coming to her eyes. "I can't let Danny go, not without a fight, not without trying. We could end up making a huge mistake by being so bigoted against beings with the power to freeze time, dad."

Damon finally closed his mouth and became very still. "Let them worry about it. If the others want to let their kids run off to die, then well-"

Valerie paused. "How do you think the Fentons feel, to have their son and baby girl most likely taken from them?"

Damon frowned. "They should've thought of that before they opened that damned portal. Maybe everything would've been better if they'd left it alone."

Valerie shook her head. Even if the Fentons had never accidentally given Vlad his powers, the world would've been doomed by Malus getting through somehow. "Maybe, but that's in the past. We need to fight for the future."

Damon frowned. "Well what about that time spirit of yours? Why doesn't he fix this if it isn't for the better!?"

Valerie shook her head. "It doesn't work like that dad. Besides, if he isn't stopping it, then that means it's got to be good for something. If we don't help though, it might end badly. He exists in all points in time. Do you want to end up in the time where he abandons us to a simple wrong turn? Personally, I want to be part of the story with the happy ending."

Damon relaxed his clenched fists and looked at his daughter hopelessly. "Do you honestly think I can listen to all this talk about time and space and take you seriously. Your suit or whatever it is, isn't even working at the moment. What can you hope to do?"

Valerie looked at him. "Attacking people wasn't what I was aiming for anyways. I just want to be there, to try and help my friends and to back Danny up no matter what happens."

They both paused when the heard the sounds of helicopters pass overhead. That wasn't exactly a common occurrence, so Valerie seemed to know what it meant. She gave her father a desperate look.

Damon walked forward and hugged her tightly. "Why can't you stay here, where you're safe? I don't want to loose you too."

Ah so that was it. That explained a lot in Valerie's mind. She glanced up at her father. "Because mom didn't stay safe when she could've and she fought for what she believed in. I do the same thing dad. Whether it's in a marine's uniform or a ghost hunting suit, there's no difference."

Damon closed his eyes and accepted the idea that he was both lucky and unlucky to have had two very strong women in his life. "Alright, baby girl."

Valerie turned and bolted out of the door.

zzz

**Kappel Residence. 8:21 AM.**

"You are not allowed out of this house, do you understand me, Ashton!?"

Ash stood near the door, glaring at his parents. He did truly understand that they were trying to protect him as well as somewhat interrogate him about Danielle and Danny, but he also knew they were in the wrong. He had to go and see what was happening.

"No! I have to go. You don't understand, guys!"

"They are dangerous creatures, Ash." His father reasoned.

Ash frowned, knowing he'd be in huge trouble after this was all over. "Mom, you once told me that different was okay. It helped me not feel as bad about my white hair even if it wasn't much. Dani, well she helped me even more. She's different too and that's good, right? Unless there are exceptions to what you said."

His mom gave him a sad look before he turned and exited the door, sprinting away as fast as he could before they could reply to him. He heard someone match his pace and heard a familiar voice.

"How'd that go?"

Ash looked over to see Jace smiling sadly at him.

"About as good as could be expected."

"Yeah, I kinda skipped that part with the arguing and had my siblings help sneak me out."

Ash blinked. "Wah?"

"They owed me big time for something and I used up my credit."

"We are talking about a seven and three year old, right?"

"And ten, don't forget Grayson, though Stewart does seem to be acting like his IQ may be larger than any of us brothers."

"The seven year old?"

"No John is the seven year old. Stewart's three."

Ash went to open his mouth again, but then snapped it closed. "Never mind."

The two friends focused on running in the direction the helicopters had gone before.

zzz

**FentonWorks. 8:10 AM.**

"So you want two eggs or three, Danny?" Maddie asked calmly.

The Fenton family was sitting around the kitchen table, acting oddly calm and somewhat numb. Dani hardly wanted to touch her food though she did eat a few bites here and there. Jazz sipped on coffee while Jack ate much slower than was normal.

"I think two is all…" Danny replied as his mom walked over to put the food on his plate.

They heard the helicopters while they were eating together and they heard the door come down several minutes later.

Danny looked up into the eyes of a small squad of GiW agents, with their weapons pointed at him and his family. Moments later, a few agents wearing black walked in and one started snapping angrily at the GiW agents.

"We understand this is your line of work, gentlemen, but we do have laws and regulations! Breaking down a door is not he first option!"

Another man wearing black walked forward as the Fentons stood slowly.

Danny and Dani looked at each other before placing their hands behind the heads. The man frowned and quietly ordered the rest of the Fenton clan to the do same. Officers came and cuffed the humans, while a GiW agent provided the restraints for the Phantoms, being a bit cruel by pinching their wrists with them. The men in black clothing showed much less emotion and acted mostly indifferent.

Danny and his family were led out, leaving food still on the table. The sentient hotdogs poked their heads out the of fridge and whined.

zzz

**Amity Park. Outside FentonWorks. 8:25 AM.**

It was literarily a blur of activity when they were lead out of the house. Pictures were being taken, voices were raised, and both Phantoms' sensitive senses were painfully forced into overdrive.

There were people shouting rude things and holding crude signs while just as many were holding signs in support of the Phantoms. Danny spotted countless reporters, including Lance Thunder and others.

Eventually, his eyes lingered on a spot in the crowd, when he saw his friends and schoolmates. Even several teachers were in the crowd with random students, holding signs in his support. His eyes locked with Sam's and he wished he could use his telepathy while in the cuffs.

Danny felt a little panic well up in him when his parents and Jazz were walked off towards normal police cars and he was forced to see the armored helicopter that he and Dani were going to be taken to. Standing beside it was Agent M, the leader of the GiW.

"Hello there, Phantom. So nice you could finally join us," Agent M muttered.

Danny stopped temporarily, surprising the two armed men that were leading him. They were unable to move him either, reminding them of his strength. "What do you mean?"

Most of the people in the crowd tried to grow quiet to hear what was happening.

"I mean, you and your… copy here, whatever she actually is, is coming with us."

Danny grit his teeth and was about to say something when yet another man wearing black glared at Agent M. "No they will not."

"What!? We discussed this! They are spectral entities and under Article one, Section one, Subsection A, they are to be captured for study or destroyed."

An uproar came from the crowd and the man in black shouted over the noise. "This is true, but there is some doubt as to whether they are in fact human or not."

"Irrelevant-"

"Not irrelevant." The man addressed the crowd. "The President will be announcing what is to be done tomorrow at exactly six AM via a National Address. As of right now, the Government of the United States must come together to re-evaluate our laws on spectral entities and re-examine what the Constitution decrees is human life." He cleared his throat. "Until then, Daniel James Fenton and Danielle Barnhill Fenton will be kept under government surveillance."

The man then walked forward and looked into Danny's eyes. "Please, this way, Mister Fenton. By the oath of the President as well as Congress, you will not be harmed. At this point in time the innocent must be proven guilty."

Danny swallowed and bowed his head. "Okay. I'll take your word for it, sir." He relaxed his muscles in his legs and let the two men walk him forward. Danielle obediently copied her brother and let her slightly more embarrassed escorts guide her.

Danny and Dani were soon loaded into the copter and it started to fly away.

Lance turned to his cameraman. "And there you have it folks! The President will be addressing the country later on what is to be done about the fate of these half-human-half-ghosts beings, there seems to be a political power struggle occurring between the CIA and the GiW about what the young Fentons really are under law, the human Fentons are being more thoroughly questioned about what they know, and the USA herself will have to think about what ghosts really are to us. This all leaves this reporter wondering, are soap operas really dead?"

zzz

**Crowd. 8:25 AM.**

"Danny…" Sam whispered as the group watched their friend look at them and then have his talk with Agent M and a man from the CIA.

"At least they're giving us a chance…" Star murmured. "I guess the moral precedence this takes was enough to not have them simply taken away. David said they wouldn't be so hasty since everything was caught on camera and people would wonder what happened to Danny if he just disappeared."

"So now what?" Tucker asked panting beside Sam, who flinched.

"Tuck?" Sam questioned in surprise. "Where have you been?"

"Getting yelled at my Mr. Gray and carting Technus around."

"I am not a piece of luggage, thank you!" Technus grumbled.

"Dude, why do you have a ghost in the thermos?" Dash asked in a low whisper.

"He saved my life."

Everyone looked over to see Valerie jog up in time to catch Danny being placed in the copter. After sharing a smile with Tucker, she spoke, "So do we have a chance?"

"We've got to!" Ash shouted as he and Jace ran up.

"Okay, who are you two?" Tyson asked.

Ash grinned. "We're Danielle's back-up!"

"We just forgot the matching t-shirts." Jace added sarcastically.

"Okay, okay, so they aren't destroying them outright," Norman started.

"Yet…" Mikey added nervously.

"You aren't helping, pal," Norman sighed.

"What about your brother, Star? That's what you were emailing us about," Kwan asked.

Star nodded. "He's getting himself ready to act as their defense attorney and argue for the rights of both of them and maybe all ghosts. He's still missing something important though, that I haven't been able to help him with," Star explained.

"What's that?" Paulina questioned.

Sam frowned grimly, catching on. "Witness testimony and evidence, otherwise it will go into a he said she said type of scenario."

Tucker glanced down at his thermos. "Well we have Technus…"

"Do not discuss me as though I'm not here…" Technus grumbled. "I suppose I could help, but it will not be much by my word alone. You need more back-up."

Sam flinched when she saw a long snout peak out from a nearby alleyway. "Wulf?"

The werewolf panted happily, showing off his claws. The group of kids looked around and slipped away to talk to the ghost.

"La horloĝo viro venis al mi kaj min sanigis. Li scias la zono kaj la homa mondo sorto estas en ludo. Mi alportos al vi vian helpon kiam bezonas. Li parolis kun du aliaj. Metu min en malgranda ujo." (The clock man came to me and healed me. He knows the zone and the human world's fate are at stake. I will bring you your help when it is needed. He talked to two others. Put me in small can.) Wulf pointed at the thermos on Tucker's hip.

Tucker and Sam grinned happily and looked at the others. "Looks like Time is on our side."

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 11:12 AM.**

Clockwork watched silently as his tiny bit of meddling started to warp the outcome of the future. Wulf had been truly the perfect vessel for his aid; healing his claws by speeding up time around them was no problem and telling a couple friends of Daniel's fate was also easy. Convincing the Observants that this was the best way to make peace with humanity and that it would spare the Ghost Zone and Human Realm from destruction was the hard part. They would be coming to pound on his door in three hours, ten minutes and forty one seconds.

With a shake of his head, he glanced at another portal which showed the third Halfa sitting on an island in deep thought. This was good; that man needed time to think. If people jumped on him too soon then he would start to place the blame on others all over again. He had to come to the truth on his own by working it through.

Finally Clockwork floated over to a certain room and opened the door slowly. Dan was laying on his side, in his true form, staring at the wall. After Clockwork had told Dan he was fading away, the evil copy had gone to his room and hadn't come out, not even to train as he had before.

"Dan."

"What?" Dan asked lifelessly. (No pun intended).

"This is not how to solve the problem."

"Tch."

"You'll only succeed at fading away if you continued to wallow."

Dan hissed and whipped his head to look over at the time keeper. "I'm not wallowing. I'm just not wasting my time or energy on something that's pointless. It's illogical to try."

Clockwork frowned. "So you are simply waiting to disappear and be sent to oblivion?"

Dan frowned. "It's not like I want that, you moron."

Clockwork sighed. "You need to evolve your obsession again Dan."

Dan slammed a fist on top of the side table and it broke in half, sending splitters everywhere. "You make it sound like it's easy! I went through an extreme crisis in order to cause my obsession to change! I have no reason to remain, Clockwork! I have no reason to exist in this time!"

Clockwork stared at him evenly. "I see. Perhaps that is the problem. You just don't see the potential like I do."

Dan growled, now sitting on his bed. "My potential is to destroy."

"Destruction is a neutral force, unlike most would like to admit. Both the good and the evil can be destroyed or be destroyers, Dan."

Dan's hair flickered about wildly. "You're starting to piss me off! Can't you just leave me to fade away already, you crazy, lonely, foolish, meddling, heartless old shadow!"

Clockwork watched quietly as Dan's red irises grew a bit thinner and his sclera started to blacken. Clockwork wordlessly turned and left the room, shutting the door with a quiet click.

Dan's eyes didn't revert to normal and cracks snaked down the sides of his head. Still enraged, he started to punch holes in the walls and break all the furniture in the room. By the time he was done, everything was unrecognizable. Dan sat in the center of the ruins of the once semi-pleasant room, taking deep breathes that weren't needed for lungs. It calmed him to see the brokenness of everything around him and his eyes and hair turned back to their general form.

zzz

**Unknown Location. 12:13 PM.**

The place they were taken to was dark, which, ironically, was actually better than seeing a bunch of white in Danny's honest opinion. He had had too many nightmares to have been taken to a place like that and stayed sane. Outside of the compound, the GiW's head and his agents had been forced to stay behind, regardless of whatever arguments they were getting into with the CIA agents. In a place like this, he was half expecting to see a flying saucer or something.

He looked over his shoulder to look at Danielle and give her a reassuring smile, which she hesitantly returned.

Finally the small entourage stopped at a fork in the hallways. A scientist, that unfortunately was wearing white, spoke to them. "While we hold you both here, we're going to have a few tests done. We've brought in two different groups for the defense and prosecution." He looked at Dani. "You're supposedly a clone of Daniel here, correct?"

Dani glanced nervously at her brother and he gave her a calm nod. She nodded to the scientist. "Yea-yes, sir." She mumbled in nervousness.

"It's okay, Dani," Danny spoke up. She whimpered a bit but nodded.

The scientist frowned, trying to deal with his own emotions. "I can promise you that like Mr. Stalward said, _we_ will not be harming you. We made the Anti-Ecto act, thinking ghosts were non-sentient creatures-"

"That's not true!" Dani yelped out, only for Danny to shush her.

"Easy, Dani."

The scientist nodded. "Thank you. I was merely saying that we've been watching you for a while and we know that Phantom doesn't hunt all the ghosts he interacts with. Obviously if you are as sentient as a normal human and indeed are not guilty of any crime, then we may need to re-evaluate our current laws, regardless of what the GiW may wish. This is what the President has asked of us. We will be putting you through a slightly advanced type of physical. Things like blood work, brain-waves, x-rays..."

Danny finally swallowed. "No… opening us up, right?"

The scientist shook his head. "That would be illegal to dissect something that may be _alive_. Even basic animals are given more fair treatment than that. The GiW are a bit too boisterous in my opinion. I can't promise you it won't happen, because I have no say in what the courts will ultimately decide about your rights, but nothing so terrible will happen to you here. That I _can_ promise."

Danny and Dani exchanged a glance. Finally they were lead down the separate hallways. Danny glanced over at the scientist, who'd followed him and his escorts. "The same does apply to Dani too, right? It wasn't her choice to be born or to be made. She can't be held responsible for her actions, she's only a few years old."

The scientist seemed intrigued by that tidbit but quickly answered the question. "I'm not well versed in law, as you can see; however, I'm fairly certain that they can't enact any sort of punishment for her even in the worst situation. At the very worst, I can only think that they'd humanely euthanize her."

Danny didn't exactly like the sound of that, but considering what they could end up doing to him, should they rule him as a test subject above a sentient being with rights, it put him at peace in the slightest bit.

"I understand. She just doesn't deserve any of this…" Danny replied.

"What about you?" One of the guards suddenly asked, surprising Danny. He paused for a moment before replying.

"I don't think I do either… but it seems the majority never take my word for it. If Dani can be spared from my fate, then my heart can at least be at peace with that." Danny paused before he looked at the scientist. "Can you promise me one last thing?"

"Depends what it is, Mister Fenton."

"If they do rule that I'm more suited-" He swallowed. "As a test subject… I need you to make sure they take care of my ghost when I die. If they end up torturing me, no matter what you believe a ghost can or can't feel… My core might become dark and…" Danny took in a breath. "No matter what the world thinks of me, it doesn't deserve of a fate under the wrath of a powerful and broken soul."

The scientist looked at the boy for a long time as they neared the containment cell that Danny would be staying in until the trial. "Why would you condemn yourself by telling us of your power and the possibility of your vengeance?"

They locked him in the cell and he turned and looked them in the eyes with a slightly distant look. "It's my obsession to protect others."

The scientist and the guards walked off after that without a word. Danny glanced around his practical prison cell, which was very high-tech and clean and saw a cot and a toilet. He let out a sigh and looked out of the thick glass that faced the hallways to see a world clock with both the date and the time on it.

Danny idly noticed it was April first. He glared at the date in slight irritation. "Just my luck huh? If only this was all a big joke…" He actually started to laugh a bit at that. "That would beat all."

He then frowned again when the small surge of happiness faded and he made his way back towards the cot to rest. They would all just have to take this one step at a time and hope for the best. Besides Clockwork was his guardian. Things would turn out for the best, right?

* * *

**So I hope you liked it. I know it wasn't too exciting, but it had to be written :)**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**Guest(MissTori): Oh my goodness! Senapi noticed me!*fangirl squee* thank you for including me! Anywho, I was wondering when this Malus was going to cause chaos on amity but I know that would spoil things. So my question is: now that malus had pariah, after he gets out, what will be that 1st thing he'll do? ( if u can't anwser its fine lol) hope to see more~ MissTori ;)**

**Hey blue! It's me again! I was thinking maybe you could make this story into an audio drama. You don't have too but it would be really cool! It's Just thought doe. ~ MissTori**

**NoSignal: Heh, lol. Never been called Senpai before! You're welcome. Well you're right, I can't really say when Malus will strike, because it would spoil things! :) The first thing he'll do? Well... "Malus ut ad humanitatem cadere. (May Humanity fall to Malus)."**

**I'm not sure what a radio drama is, heh.**

**Above the Winter Moonlight: I'm curious to know what you plan on doing for the Idiots in White, since you said it'll be something that hasn't been done before. Are we going to have more Clockwork/Dan interaction soon?**

**NoSignal: They seem to be kinda getting the boot at the moment, huh? :P No one's really taking them very seriously for now. As for Clockwork and Dan, they seem to be having problems too, mostly Dan.**

**crazyreader11: One question: is Tucker going to turn up again? Crap, another question: was the green on Dani's hands her ectoplasm? Like, she was hitting herself by exerting too much energy? Just making sure because I really liked the sibling moment.**

**NoSignal: Tada~ Tucker Careful Foley at your service! Dani was hitting the rough ice so hard that her knuckles were bleeding ectoplasm a bit. **

**Alfonse08: Nice to see us getting a bit more in depth look into the thought processes of the characters, but frankly I hope that you cut down on the emotional drama a bit in the near future.**

**NoSignal: Thanks so much for all the reviews you've left on my stories! Yeah there will still be a bit of drama for this chapter, but after the trial it'll be much better. Everyone's a little frantic at the moment. Though I did try to add a bit of humor in places.**

**cobrapilot1986: In the 21 chapter why did danny not us a thermos on vlad in stead of walking up to him? Is would have been safer. Other then that this is one of my favorite stories. Keep up the great work and can't wait of the next chapter.**

**NoSignal: Vlad was threatening Jack at that moment, so Danny wouldn't have had the time to dive for the thermos, without risking his father's life. :) Thanks for the praise!**

**Astrid Fireheart: Hey,I Would Like You To Be A Friend**

**NoSignal: I'm afraid I don't make friends on the internet. Thanks for asking though.**

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**Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc! Your kind reviews were amazing guys! Thanks so much :)**

**I hope to keep you all entertained!**

**~NoSignal**


	25. A Chance

**I'm sorry for the wait guys. Things kinda picked up and I've been pretty busy. My updating schedule in general will probably be a bit erratic.**

**Like I warned previously, this is my senior year and I've got a lot of things to do. I'll be thinking about these stories though and trying to find time to work on them. I hope you all understand! :)**

**A similar note is on the Pokemon Final Arc List for those of you that cross read my stories.**

**Wishing you all the best, always ~NoSignal**

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**Also the actual Trial will be in the next chapter**

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zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_You know my name, not my story. You've heard what I've done, but not what I've been through.__" __ ~Jonathan Anthony Burkett, Neglected But Undefeated._

zzz

**Washington D.C. 6:00 AM.**

"Good morning, fellow Americans…"

Many people around the world watched as the President of the United States made an address to his people. There was a period of silence before the man looked up into the camera again.

"The last few days have been… enlightening to say the least. We thought we understood ghosts and their habits as well as their nature and motives. I am here to say that something has come up to put much of what we thought we knew into question. At this time, we are not exactly sure what type of being Danny Phantom is. What I am here to tell you is this, we shall be scheduling a court hearing that is not quite the same as the Constitution has guided us to have in the past. A selection of Congress as well as a selection of citizens shall help in the deliberation. Further details will be declared in the next couple days leading to the trial."

The President paused one last time. "I have only one last thing to ask of you. Until we are clear on the facts, until we know what it is we are dealing with, remember the ideal that all men are innocent until proven guilty, that even criminals have rights, and as not only Americans, but human beings, we have the capacity to show mercy even to creatures that don't know it or would rather neglect to show it themselves. Carry yourselves with dignity and not blind hate. Thank you. We are not taking questions at this time."

President Hartman then turned to walk off the stage, as reporters clamored to try and pry more info from him before he left.

zzz

**Unknown Location. Block 3A. 7:01 AM.**

"Mr. Phantom… or do you actually prefer Fenton?"

Danny blinked his eyes opened to see a few armed guards waiting outside his cell. Danny leaned up and let out an exhale of air. "I guess Fenton since Phantom was just a name I came up with." He swung his legs out from under the sheets only to remember he'd taken his jeans off last night because he was hot. "Damn it."

The youngest of the men may have smirked, but it could've been only Danny's imagination. Danny hurriedly pulled on his jeans and then walked closer to the glass door there. One of the guards slid a green ring through a tiny door.

"Please put that around your left wrist, Mr. Fenton. It will neutralize your powers."

Danny blinked at the almost techno-styled bangle and picked it up, before snapping it on his wrist. He immediately felt a drop of energy to a point that he almost thought the government had possibly engineered something that could in fact deactivate ectoplasm in all his cells, which was better than any of Vlad's weapons. This rose a problem. "Wow… um… excuse me, but do you know whether or not this thing works at a hundred percent capacity?"

"I'm afraid I'm not able to disclose that to you."

"Normally I'd be okay with that, or well as okay as I could be, but you see… I'll die without _some_ ectoplasm in my cells active. I mean even a couple percent would be fine. I need ectoplasm for my systems to run, it's like taking red blood cells out of a human body." Danny reasoned calmly.

The guard that was doing most of the speaking, just stared. "Very well, we will have to talk with the doctors though. Do you happen to know how long your body can survive without ectoplasm active?"

Danny glanced down at his hands in thought. "I… maybe twelve hours? I'd probably get lethargic after seven, organ failure near eleven."

"Then everything is fine. We will not be analyzing you for more than three hour stretches."

"Oh okay." Danny nodded as they opened the electronic glass door. The two other men placed hands on his shoulders and internally realized that Danny seemed to in fact be nothing more than a eighteen year old boy without his powers.

After several minutes of walking down corridors, they entered a room that seemed to be like a waiting room. The guard in charge pulled out a pair of hand-cuffs. "For the safety of the scientists."

Danny nodded numbly as the cold steel clicked into place around his wrists. He froze in horror though, when the door opened and he caught sight of a flat metal table. The guards started to walk forwards with him and he panicked. "Wait! Wait!" Danny cried out, making everyone stop what they were doing and look at him for a reason as to why he was suddenly acting out. "You people said- No dissections."

One doctor came closer a placed a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Easy. It's just a table like a doctor's office. We aren't cutting you open. At the very most we may end up taking a few tissue samples, that's tiny bits, so that we can look more closely at your make-up."

Danny looked into the man's eyes and slowly his tension faded. "Sorry…"

"Understandable. We should've thought of that."

"Why? It's only common sense, unless he has trouble with basic human logic."

Danny looked over a saw another scientist with his arms folded, glaring at him. The one next to him whispered something harshly.

"No. I'll speak my mind if I want."

The two that were with that doctor glanced at each other while a couple others a distance away shook their heads. Though Danny wasn't positive, he seemed to notice there was some kind of divide between the two groups of scientists and he wondered if they had different bias' at heart at the moment.

"Enough. Let's get to work," The scientist nearest Danny spoke and then gestured to Danny to make his way to the table. They allowed Danny to lower himself onto the table and then they put small sensors in various places on his head. The guards remained near the door to the lab area.

"Have we got any sort of base-line?" The main scientist asked.

"Hmm… seems to be just a normal wavelength for a human."

Danny blinked as he heard the scientists talking and looking over the data. He dared to speak up. "I mean… I'm not super-smart, but from what I've learned from experience, part of my anatomy is different as a ghost than as a human. There are things that stay constant, but some that change every time I transform. For example, my skeletal system is just as hard as a normal human's while in human form, but when I'm in ghost form, the atoms seem to become less stable and I can stretch a bone into ectoplasm and then twist my body in almost any fashion after that, even separate parts. I have a few limitations in that department since some of my systems would be damaged if I twisted or stretched too far."

The main scientist walked back over and talk to him. "Is that so?"

Danny nodded slowly. "Like, I can't twist my neck all the way around. Some ghosts can do that and I can twist my neck really far but there's a certain point where I'd break my neck or well wouldn't be able to pull the bone back into a physical form and then if I transformed, I'd probably die…"

"So it seems we can't do a proper analysis without having your powers available to you."

"Yeah. I think if you set the wrist band up to twenty five percent, then I could transform and do all the basic stuff. On the other hand, I'd also be unable to fly or use most if not all my external powers. I could use intangibility and invisibility, but they kinda just come with the basic package."

The scientist nodded and walked over to a large machine. Before he could start typing something in, the stern scientist from before grabbed his shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm upping the percent slightly. We can't do a honest and full evaluation without doing as he says."

"How do you know he isn't just lying to you?"

"What would he gain? By giving us further access to his ghost half, it would manipulate the data to more ectoplasmic standards. It wouldn't be proving he was less ghost. Besides, him escaping would also be unlikely. He gave himself up and has been cooperative this whole time."

"Excuse me for speaking out of line, but he also indicated to us that he will possibly perish without ectoplasm in his system for an extended period of time. He said eleven to twelve hours would result in organ failure." One guard spoke.

The scientist glanced over at Danny, who had placed his hands on his stomach and was staring at the ceiling. "Ectoplasm is in every cell I have. This device deactivates the atoms in ectoplasm specifically. Without it, my blood isn't as efficient and my cells don't metabolize as efficiently. That's why blood blossoms are so dangerous to ghosts, it practically vaporizes ectoplasm and absorbs it like nutrients."

"Blood blossoms?" The stern scientist asked.

"They're very rare plants. I think if they grow in places around natural portals. They have almost purplish vines and dark red blossoms. They also have thorns."

The main scientist clicked a few things into a computer and Danny suddenly felt a wave of energy flush through him. He let out an exhale as his eyes glimmered with a dimmed green.

"You shouldn't do it. I'm telling you."

"We are here to study him properly and each come to our own conclusions about what his anatomy says he is and what that means for his intellect and EQ."

Danny glanced over at the two as they got closer. "If I transform, then you can tell me how my brainwaves are then. I'm not sure if they're different." Danny then closed his eyes and willed his ghost form into being.

"Does the transformation always require a shining ring of light?"

"Most often. There have been only a few instances it doesn't need it," Danny replied.

A commotion occurred near the monitor. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"What's wrong?" The nicer scientist asked and walked over.

"If he's supposedly a spectral entity, he should have a flat line on the brain wave activity, like corpses do. But here it's almost like it's slightly more active."

The stern doctor walked over and snorted. "Already altering the data?"

Danny frowned. "I didn't know what to expect. I mean… I think I still have a brain. I know I have organs in this form."

"How do you know?" The kind doctor asked, ignoring the crude one.

Danny seemed to get a bit nervous. "Um well, it was this one fight with Skulker and he got in a lucky jab. Some stuff was showing and one of my friends seemed to know what it was."

"So then theoretically you should have a brain?"

"I guess. I honestly don't know. Haven't exactly busted open my skull yet or been to the doctor since the accident."

"I see. You never broken a bone?"

Danny frowned and began to play idly with one glove and hand to relax himself. "Yes, I have. But if I set it right then it heals in a couple days."

At that, one of the scientist couldn't stop a gasp. This made Danny look up anxiously. "I mean I heal a lot quicker even in human form, though ectoplasm is more viscous, so if I'm bleeding out it's better if I stay in ghost form to give me more time to heal or get help."

"Hmm…" The kinder doctor looked down at the bobbing lines. "I suppose the ectoplasm could be what is causing the heightened activity. Ectoplasm is mostly a form of plasma that has somehow come to be in a more solid form. It would most likely have electrical impulses on its own."

Danny perked up and nodded his head. "Makes sense. Although… it could also be my enhanced senses…"

"Heightened senses wouldn't effect activity quite as much, plus this activity isn't present in your human form and you say your senses are available to you in your other form."

Danny looked at the man and flushed in slight embarrassment. "Oh yeah, didn't think of that."

"So then, now we need to see how your brain reacts in both forms to certain stimuli." The doctor walked over with a headset. "This will display pictures within its built-in screen."

Danny nodded and transformed back into a human before putting it on his head; he was then equipped with various other sensors so that they could also study his basic emotional responses and the effect they had on his body. After about thirty minutes, that particular procedure was done.

Danny could hear the doctors talking in various whispers near their sheets of data. Some seemed excited, others tame, and still others somewhat disturbed. Apparently Danny was much more apt to react to violence with violence slash anger in ghost form, which could be attributed to the fact that he often fought ghosts in ghost form. It also seemed as though the Fenton part of him was more likely to succumb to depressive situations or things that would normally lessen one's spirit; Phanotm on the other hand seemed more neutral to them, which was possibly be because Danny felt more confidence in that form and was often more determined not to give up no matter how grim something was. However, why the data showed what it did was completely up to interpretation, which left a heavy weight in Danny's gut. They could just as easily claim that Phantom was violent and indifferent to suffering. Just great.

The kinder doctor eventually walked over. "We're almost done with our analysis for today. Tomorrow we will look into more physical things, like body shape, x-rays, and tissue and blood samples.

"Oh, okay…" Danny answered awkwardly, not sure how he felt about a bunch of random dudes maybe seeing him completely nude.

"The last thing we want to do is test a more extreme stimuli to test a hypothesis within the Spectral-scientific community. It was only recently developed and in fact was developed by your parents and while we are aware of the possible bias, the theory itself is… fairly solid and needs to be tested for your credibility as well as perhaps other ecto-entities."

Danny nodded slowly, feeling a sense of dread enter him. What could they be talking about? What kind of stimuli did they mean?

Before long he was placed back into the headset, with all the same monitors, plus one extra over his heart, which they wouldn't tell him of it's purpose; he'd also been asked to transform into Phantom again. Pictures once more flashed through the same screen and most of them seemed completely peaceful. It was quite sudden that the mood changed. A picture of a dying person popped up, something of a gruesome car accident or the like having happened to have maimed his body in such a way. Then a ruined city, from a natural disaster. He hardly noticed or heard the increased frequency of the beeps outside what he was seeing. Something deep inside his chest ached and he cried out loud instantly at the sight of gravestones with his loved ones names carved on them and finally a computer altered picture of the Earth, torn, burnt, and in ruins floating in space and lacking its beautiful blue glow.

Danny didn't feel hands around his arms or people's anxious voices, no, he heard voices that he didn't know, begging him for an answer as to why he didn't save them. The explosion at the Nasty burger flashed through his mind, Walker's torture being used on his classmates instead of him, his cloned sister melting into nothing, fire, blood, and a deep pain in his chest, spreading to the rest of his body that made him feel like he was going completely insane.

He still thrashed after they'd turned down the percentage of the bracelet to zero and stuck a sedative in him. The first coherent thought he had was wondering if a sedative would work normally on him when all his ectoplasm was inactive. As he slipped into sleep, he drowsily answered himself. _Probably…_

zzz

**Unknown Location. Block 8C. 7:12 AM.**

If she was honest with herself, she could say they were being pretty nice and that this wasn't so bad. All she had done this morning was talk to a nice lady. After answering a few random questions that didn't seem to have to do with anything, she'd been taken deeper in the building to a lab. There she'd freaked a bit, much like her brother, at the sight of the cold steel and white-coated scientists, but she'd been calmed rather quickly.

That was until they were halfway through some of the procedures that Dani noticed she was slowly melting. She let out a shriek, pulling everyone's attention to her.

"I'm melting again! You've, you've got to take the bracelet off!" Dani wailed, seeing her fingers droop a bit and start turning a little purple.

"We can't let you have access to all your powers."

"I won't leave, but the ectoplasm keeps my body together! I would've died in the test tube without it!"

The guards and scientists exchanged perplexed glanced, not sure what to do.

"Please! Even if you take it off I might still destabilize! I haven't been like this for months!"

Finally one of the scientist, who was female ran over and started punching in codes. Another followed her and tried to stop her.

"I will not be guilty of murdering a young girl!"

"We don't know that she is one!" the other snapped back.

Dani felt tears dot the corner of her eyes at the cruel suggestion, but didn't let herself cry, she'd been called worse.

"We don't know that she isn't!" The woman then clicked the last buttons and the bracelet stopped glowing.

Dani focused her energy and then looked down at her fingers, only to see they weren't fixed, but at least she wasn't melting further. Now in Phantom form, she could only picture the gruesome idea of her fingers falling off if she turned back into a human again.

"I don't know if I can transform again without my fingers falling off. I can't even go to sleep!" Dani spoke hysterically. It was too late before tears started trailing down her cheeks; this was no longer something she could deal with on her lonesome. "Danny. Danny!"

"Easy child," A scientist attempted, only for Dani to cry out Danny's name again. She loved Maddie and Jack, but there was simply no replacing Danny in her heart. He'd been the first one to love her, to teach her, to really hug her. She didn't like being even a little ways away from him in a place that seemed so foreign. Wrapped in the safety that Danny and her new family had given her, she'd been able to grow more; her adventure around the world had helped her to be independent, but it couldn't match up to the love she now craved. No matter how far she had traveled in the past, Danny was always in reach in someway; now he wasn't. She knew what a real life was like now and she was truly afraid to die and loose it all.

The woman she'd talked to earlier, who was a phycologist, walked forward and placed both hands on the girl's shoulders. "Hey, calm down a little, okay, Dani?"

Dani looked at the woman and blinked back a few tears. "I… I…"

The woman squatted a bit. "It's okay that you're scared and want Danny. He just can't be here right now, okay?"

"But… he could fix this… I think… He fixed me last time."

The woman nodded as the doctors looked at each other in confusion. "He really cares about you doesn't he?"

"Yeah." Dani whimpered a bit. She wanted to go home; she wanted to go back to sleep in her own room, in that crazy home of hers with the bright neon signs.

"How about we stop for today? We can head back to your room and talk some more. I can have one of the doctors ask if Danny could see you later."

Dani seemed to brighten at this. "You can?" The woman nodded and watched as Dani floated off the table and hovered over the floor. Dani sighed. "I can't feel my toes and my hair isn't obeying gravity…"

Indeed, the bottom of her boots and the tips of her hair were looking a bit wispy and not solid like normal.

"Have you destabilized before?"

"Yeah, a couple times. Once all the way, but then Danny used this spray to fix me. I reformed back from mush."

At that, the doctors' eyes bugged out of their heads.

"Back from mush huh? Were you scared?" The phycologist asked and kept walking away with Dani.

"A little, but I would've been a lot more scared to die alone. I'm glad Danny was there to say goodbye. I didn't think he'd be able to save me though."

About an hour later, the phycologist was talking with the doctors in charge of studying Dani.

"You have to understand that even if she isn't a living creature, her apparent psychosis is varying between two extremes depending on her environment and the situation. I can't confirm whether or not it's her act as a ghost is to be unstable or if she's a human child with the same behavior, seeing as that's not my expertise. From what I've picked up, she appears to have the anatomy of a fifteen or sixteen year old, but her experience within the world is only from the standpoint of about two or three years. She may have been pre-programmed with some of her original basic teen mentality but so much of her growing process was forcibly sped up. She can swing between being a snarky teenager and a dependent toddler and I'd imagine the fact that her mind does such a thing, confuses her. Her body and mind can't quite decide what she is in some emotionally driven instances. We don't really have prolific research on cloning and clone phycology, seeing as we as the world doesn't see the idea as morally acceptable. I can only speculate that her relationship with Danny and her family may be the healthiest it could be, given what she is. Because Danny has been supportive, she's been able to learn and grow and even understand that though she isn't normal, she's loved and none of it is her fault."

A frowning doctor hummed. "This only really seems plausible if she's in fact a clone. We have to compare her and Daniel's DNA. That is, if they even have DNA."

"And we can't seem to continue the testing and analysis if she may melt at any time. How can we ensure our safety and hers at the same time?" Another added.

"The group studying Daniel indicated that the bracelets at hundred percent efficiency are potentially fatal to either of them. Apparently they require ectoplasm for their _systems_ to run properly."

"So then maybe Danielle's body relies a bit more on ectoplasm to stabilize her body and less to use for other external reasons?"

"It would explain why Daniel claimed he was stronger in power compared to his clone sister. This would also match the data the GiW have on Phantom and his _cousin_."

"Honestly, I think the only thing we can do is wait for Daniel's testing to be over for the day. We have to ask him what to do about his sister."

"We can't! What if he becomes enraged and thinks we hurt her on purpose?"

"That's simple," The phycologist finally spoke again. "We take Dani to Daniel. She'll be able to tell him that it wasn't necessarily on purpose."

The group was interrupted by a guard walking in. "That might not be possible as of right now. Daniel reacted poorly to a stimuli test and went into some kind of shock. They had to sedate him."

The phycologist was honestly stunned by this. "What on earth did they test?"

The guard frowned. "The theory about ghosts and their obsessions."

"What exactly happened?" One of the doctors asked, a bit too eagerly.

"You'd have to ask one of the others. I wasn't in the room at the time. I'm just the messenger."

The phycologist stood up and started to leave the room.

"Miss Garber, where are you going?" A doctor asked.

She paused and smiled half-heartedly at them. "Oh I just needed a small break. This is all just… a lot."

"Very well. We'll see you later."

Miss Garber walked down the longer halls thinking to herself about everything she'd seen and heard. It seemed like one day the world had woken up and everyone was crazy. Just recently her old professor had called her up suddenly and asked her what she felt about being involved with psychoanalyzing ghosts or ecto-entities or whatever. Of course, she had thought it odd for her old teacher to call her randomly and given the subject she'd told her very little since most of what she was doing was government business and therefore confidential. It wasn't until a day ago that she'd been curious and looked up Doctor Hall's past clients only to see the now wanted Vlad Masters had been one of them; the irony was overwhelming to her. She couldn't look further into the actual case due to patient confidentiality laws, as she lacked the proper subpoena.

Garber made it to the bathrooms and leaned against the sink to give herself a moment to think. Everything was all so convoluted and confusing. If these beings weren't sentient, then they sure should be used for acting out plays or the like because they were damn good actors. She wanted the conclusion to be that Danny and his sister were as normal as they could be, given their admittedly unnatural abilities. At the same time though, some part of her wished they weren't, if just so that she didn't have to imagine that two teens were being held mostly against their will in a government lab.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 9:02 AM.**

Undoubtedly Vlad wasn't sure what he could accomplish by snooping around the large empty lair. Vlad had had the crown and key in his possession, but with the amount of time that had passed since he'd formulated the plan, there was no telling what had happened to the items during his bout of full force madness.

The last few weeks or so was a bit blurry to the elder halfa. For the time being, he was going to begrudgingly agree with Daniel's assessment of his obsession getting the better of him. It was the only thing that could explain his disassociation with his actions as well as his acne acting up again. It had been over twenty years when the ache had shown back up the first time, after he'd reunited with the Fentons and their children no less, and now the second attack had happened not withint more than a year's time. He was getting worse.

Vlad screwed his mouth and face into a look of troubled thought as he found the entrance to Pariah's Keep. He'd seen the hell-hound go in there after following it. Something told Vlad that this couldn't be good.

Considering his thoughts again as he snuck inside in human form, he realized with a pang that during his fit of madness he could've killed Daniel. Though there were times when the man had been aggravated with the boy enough to threaten his less than pleasant end, deep down he knew he couldn't kill him purposefully. He'd realized that not long after trying to clone the boy. Even as their aggression towards each other had increased slowly, a hidden thread of respect only had grown; he wondered if Daniel felt the same.

The boy did have Danielle now… so maybe… maybe Vlad wasn't needed by anyone anymore. He'd unintentionally created his own replacement in a sense; they weren't the only two halfas in the world anymore.

That dark thought suddenly crushed him and pulled the air from his lungs. Somewhat hidden in one of the lair's corridor's, Vlad leaned against the wall thinking a bit more about this sudden revelation of his. He'd caused that damage by making Danielle. How many other things had he done, that had ultimately made his own life worse?

A growl rumbled from somewhere nearby and snapped Vlad out of his thoughts. He phased into the wall as a large raven walked slowly down the corridor; the hell hound ran past it at a quicker pace. After a few moments, they were both gone. Vlad moved quietly down the hall, still invisible and intangible and floating an inch above the ground.

Finally he entered the main throne room, only to see the grande sarcophagus looking a little worse for wear. It looked as though the very material making up the creation was aging rapidly. Vlad let out a breath of surprise when black smoke fled from within and started tracing strange shapes and symbols in the air above.

Before Vlad could react, a couple streams of smoke snapped to attention and flew out to wrap around his wrists while the third, punctured his chest. The man couldn't help but let out a cry of absolute torment from the pain the contact was giving him. A voice started to echo in his head… or really it was more like his chest, as odd as that was. Malus was after his weakened core…

"Plasmius dimittere poenas mecum. Quod te inpediat ire. Ut ire. Quod te inpediat ire dolor. Ut ire." (Plasmius release the pain. Let go of that which hinders you. Let go. Let go of the pain that hinders you. Let go.)

Let go? Ah yes of course… the pain… human emotion… the boils… they hurt so much… human… weakness. Wait. There was some part of him that knew… He knew that if he ever became a full ghost, he would never find happiness or peace in all of eternity. As he was, his obsession was strong, painful, yes… obsessions that continued to cause pain after death, loneliness, or anger… they were the hardest to deal with. At least with his humanity, he still had a chance. He had been willing to do many things in the past that were sinful enough, but he would never give up his humanity.

"No! Esse afuturus me! Humilitatem meam, et non sacrificium!" (No! Be away from me! I shall not sacrifice my humanity!) Vlad screamed out and, accessing his hot core, released a storm of fire that forced the streams of black to fizzle and disintegrate faster; Vlad never saw the white light dancing within his flames.

"Audetis ventilabis tenebris away!? Tum puer pati patietur!" (You dare push the darkness away!? Then you will suffer as the child will suffer!)

Vlad didn't hear anymore as he shot out of the lair as fast as he could, after changing into his ghost form.

After traveling for long enough to make the halfa feel safe enough to stop, he transformed and floated in the ether, gasping for breath. He was drawing in ectoplasm, which would normally make any ghost feel peaceful and energized, but he could feel his boils' pain return with vengeance for using his powers. It felt like his flesh was starting to burn and now even his insides ached.

In desperation, he floated towards a tall gothic tower, with clocks floating about it, not having noticed that it had appeared out of nowhere.

zzz

**Clockwork's Lair. 10:10 AM.**

"Why would they do such a thing?" Dora whispered, before shutting her eyes in sympathy when Danny started to thrash and panic on the table.

Clockwork seemed impassive to his guest's question as he too watched the same event on one of his screens. Frostbite was the one to answer.

"As much as I agree, I believe they are simply trying to understand how ghosts work. They don't understand what kind of crime it can be to threaten one's obsession… or torture a ghost with it, even on accident. It's wrong, but we must show that we trust them enough."

"Yes. We must. Daniel will be alright with them…"

Frostbite and Dora both looked at Clockwork as he spoke before sharing a worried glance with each other. There were still so many points where this all could fall apart.

"Humans are cruel and they will use him either as a weapon or as a way to make him into a method to gain longer life or some nonsense, not that we care what happens to the boy, but honestly we're risking the Zone with your experiment here, Clockwork." An Observant spoke up making two of the other four with him, nod.

The remaining two observants looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Videre, I will impart this much to you if only to silence you once and for all. If I didn't try something, then the Zone and the world would be doomed either way and not merely because of Malus."

Everyone in the grand hall became sober.

"Humans are getting smarter and more curious, forgetting their roots and general humanness and Ghosts are getting more vengeful because of these same humans… Ultimately we would destroy each other as cliche as it sounds. It would merely be two stars crashing into each other in a blinding display. Not much would be spared if anything at all. This is what we must do to attempt to ensure a decent outcome. So enough of your bigotry."

Videre grew quiet, but remained irritable, of course. A distance away, up in the scaffolding above, Dan watched the entire thing. Clockwork had told him it would be best if he stayed hidden, at least until the Observants had left. Even the more reasonable ones would go nuts if they learned Dan was out… After several more minutes of random discussion and a few predictable jabs from the one eyed freaks, which of course didn't help progress anything really along, the Observants left.

"Hey, maybe that could be my obsession. I could be the destroyer of idiots," Dan spoke up, making the three remaining ghosts look up at his perch.

Clockwork smiled discreetly, wondering if Dan had even noticed how lighthearted that joke really was, even if the murderer had truly meant and would carry out what he'd said.

"I see. Without an obsession. I can now see why the Time Keeper let you out," Frostbite spoke.

Dan's hair burned bright. "Watch it Snowman. It would be a shame if you melted in the heat."

"Dan, play nice," Clockwork quipped, not looking at Dan but not hiding his smirk this time.

"I am not your pet!" Dan roared in pure frustration. He simmered down after a quick glance at one of the time gates that flickered. Clockwork noticed and rose a thin black eyebrow in curiosity and amusement.

"You really think that's going to turn out well? Dan asked emotionlessly, remembering the visions he'd seen of Danny and Dani's time in the government facility so far.

"I'm fairly certain really… so far every single detail has gone as planned. I believe time has gone down the right path for us. There are still a few markers I'm hoping to see soon though," Clockwork answered honestly.

Frostbite and Dora shared a glance when they saw Dan frown in thought. "Markers?"

"Key events or sometimes even very small events can make all the difference. It's a combination of the two that determines our fates."

Dan seemed to realize he'd been leaning in a bit as though showing interest and slowly pulled back, laying flat on the banister. "Tch. I have to side with the Observants on this one. They'll probably turn on him, cut him up, turn him into a weapon; it's only human nature really."

Frostbite and Dora merely shook their heads at Dan's assessment, seeing it as biased, though Clockwork seemed to frown for a deferent reason. Dan was hidden from all three, frowning, it would might appear to be, in sadness. "We all have the potential to do great good, Dan. All things do."

Dan furrowed his brows. "That's a lovely bedtime story, grandpa. Tell me another." Sarcasm dripped from his voice at the end. Then two streams of red mist flew from his nose at the same time. "Huh? No way."

"I see you've finally detected our guest?" Clockwork asked.

"We have another coming? Who, sir?" Dora questioned Clockwork, looking to Frostbite only to see him shrug.

Clockwork said nothing but floated over to his great doors and opened them. Vlad Masters collapsed onto the floor, panting.

"It's the Vile One!" Frostbite boomed.

Vlad looked up weakly and gave a small, irritated glare. "Is that the best you could come up with, you abominable snow beast?"

"What are you doing here, Plasmius?" Dora asked harshly, and Vlad backpedalled a bit, realizing he definitely couldn't fight an angry… fire breathing and scaly Dora, much less whoever else was here.

"Going to kick a defenseless man while he's down?" Vlad asked bitterly. Dora paused and noticed the boils on his skin.

"It seems the wicked stew in their misery," Dora hummed mostly to herself.

"Unless of course you outlive it, but maybe live isn't the best term…"

Vlad glanced up, still not really taking note of Clockwork to see Dan staring down at him. He took in the figure. The HAZMAT suit… the face… the eyes… and the DP symbol on his chest. At that moment Vlad's heart seized, trying to process what he was seeing. Who was this ghost? Why did he have Daniel's symbol? Was he perhaps one of his failed clones or the like? No, certainly not. He'd seen all the others slowly dissolve and be ended and none of them looked like this boy… er man.

"What's the matter cheese-head? Aren't you glad to see me, you crazy fruit loop?"

Fruitloop… only Daniel or Danielle and their friends called him that. Good lord… had he maybe killed Daniel? He'd been certain that Maddie and those the others had saved him and taken him back safely. Had he only presumed that he'd not perished?

"Vladimir. You need not panic. Dan here is not your Daniel."

Vlad drug his eyes off the faux-Daniel still grinning at him with sick eyes to look up at another figure. After a few gasps of breath as though he was a fish out of water, Vlad was able to find his voice. "You're, you're…"

"Father Time, yes, yes I am."

Vlad swallowed thickly. Honestly some part of him had thought such a being was only a myth… If the ghost truly was who he said he was, then there was no mistake that he had stumbled in here.

"Please, don't take my life yet. I know I'm suffering and still quite angry, but I-"

"Enough," Clockwork interrupted, seeing a shiver go through the halfa. "You have done many things, but you are far from the worst. All of us must try to be better at being ourselves…"

"Man and I thought I liked to mentally torture people with their imminent death. Geez Clockwork, you're the monster here," Dan muttered sardonically. A glare from the Time Keeper made Dan begrudgingly grow silent.

"As I was saying. I do not steal the soul away. That job is the Reaper's… However, if I had informed him to come now and take you, it would be quite counter productive. Perhaps other than teaching Daniel a valuable lesson, but I digress."

Vlad swallowed and grimaced at the pain even that small action caused. "So you prefer me suffer then?" The man asked hoarsely.

"No. I wouldn't have helped Daniel save you from your last acne spell for only you to perish from the next." Clockwork floated over the his gates; using the hand that didn't have his staff firmly held, he levitated Vlad's weak form over to him. "Vladimir Masters. I'm going to give you a second chance."

Vlad seemed intrigued and Dan, above them all still, snorted in annoyance.

"You sure seem to give all but a few, a second chance…"

"Dan, don't talk about things you don't understand. It makes you look ignorant," Clockwork quipped back easily, making Dan click his teeth in anger. The specter leapt from the banister and flew to his room before shutting the door. "Vladimir."

Vlad narrowed his eyes and looked at the specter who had him at his mercy. "Yes?"

"First step is that I'm going to teach you a lesson." Clockwork watched as one of his visions in the gates became grey in color. He tossed the man in before he could so much as let out a shriek of surprise.

"Are you certain he will learn?" Frostbite asked.

Clockwork turned and smiled. "Not really. Vladimir requires a different sort of lesson plan apart from Daniel. While Daniel needed to be left to his consequences and given an authoritative figure, i.e. myself to fix what he'd broken so he could understand, Vladimir already understands consequence in a sort of action-reaction situation…" Clockwork paused to look bad at the portal, seeing Vlad stumble around in confusion. "What he needs is to learn humility above all things. Daniel's test was to see how far he'd go to try to fix his mistake. Vladimir's will be whether he learns from his mistakes at all."

"How will we know he's learned?" Dora questioned softly.

"If he fully admits he did wrong and seeks to fix it. If he does, then I will ask you attempt to heal him, Frostbite," Clockwork answered.

"How are you certain he won't turn as soon as he's healed?" Frostbite returned, not too happy with where this was going.

"I guess we'll have to put a little faith in him, hm?"

zzz

**Infirmary. 11:01 AM.**

His nose itched. That was the first thing he noticed. Ironically he got merely a tad irritated when he couldn't seem to move his arm up to scratch the spot. It was only after a couple more minutes of slowly coming to, that he started to realize that was not normal. Danny opened his eyes and he saw a white ceiling and felt cold metal on his back. He couldn't move his arms or legs and he saw he was strapped down and unable to access his powers. Why was that again? What was happening? Had the GiW caught him or something?

He started to pull at the restraints not really wondering why the agents had taken the care to hook him up to an IV or place an oxygen mask over his mouth and nose.

"Easy, son."

Danny looked over to his side, wide-eyed to see several people suddenly there. Had they been there before? A few doctors within and several guards behind the glass.

"Your body went into shock from the procedure. We had to restrain you after sedation because we weren't sure how quickly you'd wake up even with the numbers down to zero and also we weren't sure if you'd be violent."

Danny finally remembered where he was now and what had happened. Regardless, he strained, not wanting to be strapped down while on his back. Too many bad dreams, too many things an enemy or ghost could damage to an unprotected torso or abdomen. Curling up was safe, being forced to remain exposed wasn't.

"Please, untie me," Danny whispered. "I can't… I can't lay like this, please."

He saw the doctor look over at another briefly before turning back to him. "We can release you shortly, but at the moment, it's not an option."

Danny clenched his eyes shut in frustration. Didn't people see his fear or pain? Why did they even need the machines, the data, the everything? And for the sake of the Infinite Realms why had they toyed with his damn obsession!

"What is the matter with you people?" Danny asked hotly. "Why for the love of God would you simulate a ghost loosing his obsession!?"

If the doctor frowned, Danny couldn't see behind the mask. "I'm sorry we upset you. It had to be tested. You do realize most normal humans don't react so violently to simple pictures, even such disturbing ones as those?"

"Yes _normal_ humans know when a movie or picture is fake," one of the more bigoted doctors impressed, making sure Danny heard the _normal_ part.

Danny let out a trembling breath, trying not to say something snappy to the guy.

"I must say. It is kinda disturbing though… that a ghost can be set off just by a picture…" Someone muttered, but they weren't quiet enough.

Danny snapped his head over and glared at the others there. What had been said was true, but there was a issue. "First off, I didn't just get _set off_. I went into shock! You do realize that if I wasn't also human, a weaker ghost could've faded away right there, right? Second if you had given me pictures or things that insinuated that you were _threatening_ my obsession rather than already having destroyed it, then duh! Even threatening a _normal_ human, typically isn't smart!" Danny snapped, pleased with himself to have gotten a jab back at the mean doctor while at the same time he'd made his point.

Danny laid down and took deep breaths, still not comfortable being tied to the table as he was.

Before any of the doctors could speak up, a guard came around a corner.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's important. We have a situation with the female. It's required that she see the male," The man spoke gruffly.

"What? Dani? What's wrong?" Danny asked, starting to get anxious. At that moment, Dani came around the corner in ghost-proof cuffs instead of the neutralizing bracelet.

"Danny," She breathed out, rubbing away a few hidden tears. Miss Garber walked a little closer.

"Mr. Fenton. We were trying to do the requires tests on your… sister and it seems the problem with the neutralizing ring effected her in a slightly more aggressive degree-"

"Danny! I'm melting!" Dani wailed out and showed her fingers at the glass.

Danny felt his heart skip slightly when he saw her fingers acting as though no bones were in them. Her hair and toes seemed to be somewhat wispy as well. "Let me help her. Please!"

"It's not advised we let you two interact-"

"For God's sake, she's my little sister!" Danny cried out and pulled harder on the straps, making them rub his wrists a bit raw.

"Hey, Danny… easy now. Calm down," Garber soothed.

Danny took a breath, slightly ashamed at loosing his cool, but in his defense they'd never watched your own life blood melt before their eyes. "Sorry… I just… I don't want to watch her melt away again."

Everyone was quiet until Dani spoke, "Danny…" How could she have ever thought about running away for good?

Danny took in a deep breath. "Okay… I need to hold her. If you can put us both in a cell together and give us full access to our powers, I can share some of my core energy with her."

"Danny! That's dangerous! Why not just have them get that spray stuff?" Dani asked.

Danny shook his head. "That would take too long, plus core serum is what the ecto dejecto was. Dad meant to polarize it, but he failed and it became a power-up serum. Turns out even properly polarizing core serum simply turns the ectoplasm into some unstable or useless element. That's what mom said anyways." Danny then sighed. "I also thought of a way for you guys to continue your study while keeping the bracelets' percentages as low as you need, no risk of melting or full death included."

Dani laughed and that made Danny smile.

"What is it?" Garber questioned.

Danny looked at her. "It's a bit more expensive on your part is the only down fall. If you give us a tank of ether, that's ectoplasm in gaseous form, we can breath it in. We have to have a constant flow to make up for not having our bodies produce it ourselves, but like I said no death no melting and the ectoplasm will be burned up almost as soon as it enters our body."

The meaner doctor went to speak, but the nicer one cut him off. "Seems reasonable." He turned to the guards. "Let's get them over to the largest chamber. They can't escape from that one, even if they could teleport. It has the sensors that pick up the gases released from the chemical reaction a teleport starts."

"They'd fry themselves if they tried it," The cruel doctor finished.

"There's no need to word it that way." The kind doctor snapped before he motioned to the guards.

Danny looked at Dani. "It'll be okay Dani, remember?"

Dani nodded slowly as the guards moved to prepare Danny for transport. "You wanna hear something weird?"

"Sure."

"I think I'm not scared anymore… at least… I'm happy."

"Happy?"

Dani smiled. "I realized all over again that I have the best brother in the world."

zzz

**FBI office of Indiana. Rooming facility. 4:32 PM.**

She was questioning whether or not she'd ticked someone off, because the bitter irony of the situation was not lost on her. She finally had gotten her baby boy back, after a little over two years of secrets, bruises, lies and distance, she'd learned about the young man she'd birthed and what he'd really become… only for him to be taken away again. And Danielle… the extra gift in her life that had made her feel… complete? Yes… three was a wonderful number.

The questioning had been a bit more intimidating, if not mostly redundant and circular again. Even though now she was dealing with the FBI and not the local authorities, they still didn't have proof of any kind that they'd purposefully harmed their son, when human, as they categorized; she'd still felt quite incensed when they'd insinuated that all her shots at him as Phantom didn't legally count as child abuse, seeing as Danny was legally a ghost then. The idea felt so vile in her mind now. What had she been thinking? They also couldn't prove that the Fentons had been the ones to make Danielle or attempt to form some kind of human weapon army. There was no evidence on the computers either, because obviously they'd never tried to do such things. They'd probably clear that up went the feds got around to going through Vlad's things. The only thing the feds hadn't found and that Maddie wouldn't be honest about was the Ghost files Danny had made for his computer. They'd taken them all as evidence and somehow Tucker's work had hidden the fact that there was something else in Danny's computer. She didn't know how the boy had done it, but no government needed that kind of info… especially if they were going to prosecute her boy using evidence about… _him_. Then again, time travel? Mythical objects and beings? How could a nation really be safe or know what to do? And the other countries, especially the U.N had to be waiting to talk about how fair it was or wasn't for the U.S. to have a hybrid creature at their supposed disposal.

Maddie sighed. What could they really do to save Danny? What could anyone do? Logically speaking he was a living weapon. What kind of rights does a weapon have? She wished the three hadn't been separated during their stay. Maddie really craved her husband's perpetual optimism about now.

zzz

He wanted to touch and hold them close. That is all that Jack Fenton needed to be truly happy, and fudge, couldn't forget the fudge.

Maddie was a better fighter that him, so really you could say she was the protector of the family, if you ignored the fact that his son and newest daughter had superpowers. Yeah. But really, even though he wasn't truly the protector, he still had the job of bringing everyone into a hug holding them all close and saying he'd protect them. Even if Jack Fenton couldn't shoot a ecto-weapon straight or do some of those fancy karate moves his wife could, to save his life, he knew he was more than willing to give his life to save his family.

He was confident in what his heart had intended when wanting to ghost hunt, but now he was truly realizing that the road to hell was paved with good intentions. He'd doomed his son and his best friend to their fates. According to Maddie, it was likely that Vlad was dead in the woods somewhere and his son…

It was all his fault. If he wasn't so stupid and idiotic and had paid more attention, then none of this would've ever happened. His heart hurt, not just for his children but for Vlad. No matter what he'd come to learn about his college friend, he'd come to admit to himself that he could never truly hate Vlad. He'd loved the man like his brother and even if Vlad never saw him the same way… that kind of bond wasn't easily destroyed.

Jack rolled in the cot to face the tiny window. No, he couldn't go blaming himself for everything, Maddie wouldn't want that, nor Danny, nor Jazz, nor Ellie, or even the Vlad in his mind he'd thought he'd known in college. Everyone makes mistakes, but it takes two to tango… er, he was losing focus. Point was, they just had to keep pushing forward, because they were Fentons and a Fenton never gives up.

zzz

There was no time for a pity party. No sir.

Jazz had been very pleased when they'd allowed her to read some of the law books they had in to break room, study? She couldn't remember where the officer had said they'd come from, but that didn't so much matter.

She was doing what she did best. She was learning everything she could about the situation they were in, after all psychology and knowledge about people or a subject had not failed her yet, since you could never have too much of either.

Anything she could do to help her brother and sister in the long run was worth the time reading. If Danny could make and keep promises to people about things, then she could keep her promise too. She'd protect him and Dani. She gave herself no other option.

As far as she could tell, She and her parents had lawyered up quickly, but not too quick. The only thing she was worried about presently was what lawyer they'd get… Sam had mentioned something about that…

"Miss Fenton?"

Jazz looked up and closed her book to see a couple officers as well as her parents and another stranger.

"Your lawyer as arrived and has requested that he gets the opportunity to speak with you and your family," the same officer spoke.

The stranger in the group, messed his very tangled brown hair in slight nervousness and held out his hand. "Hello Miss Fenton. My name's David Hudson. I'll be your lawyer as well as your siblings' lawyer when the time comes." David had green eyes that were only slightly darker than his sister's and though it was obvious that he'd tried to tame his hair in a typical and neat slightly off-part, it looked like his hair had rebelled harshly or he'd been put through a hurricane simulator. He wore a plain black suit, tie, slacks and dress shoes; he also had a brown book bag that was very worn and she caught sight of a bit of silver chain hidden under his suit collar. He was slightly taller than her and a bit lithe, but charming and Jazz found herself blushing a bit.

"Oh, thank you. I'm Jazz, heh heh, oh yeah you already know that, huh?" Jazz stumbled nervously. _What in the world was that, Jazz!?_ She shouted at herself internally. She couldn't remember the last time she'd stumbled over words before.

"You bet," David answered politely.

Jazz continued to stare in thought before she realized that she was still shaking his hand. "Oh! I'm sorry!" She let go and he only smiled.

"No problem. You've all been through the ringer it seems. Let head this way with your parents and the officers. I think they have someplace we can talk together in private. As you know, strictly lawyer to client information."

Jazz nodded. She glanced over at her parents to give them a smile, when she noticed her mother giving her a teasing smirk and her father giving the young man a suspicious look that was comical on his face. She facepalmed.

zzz

Eventually Jack, Maddie and Jazz found themselves sitting across from David, who pulled out various papers from his bag, that seemed to be in absolutely no order; some were folded and crinkled and others had coffee stains on them. Either the young man was nuts or he was a genius.

"Sorry for the mess. I've been stewing over this whole thing since Star emailed me and Miss Manson called. Not to mention this is going to be international and absolutely crazy, insane even-" He glanced up to see the Fentons blink at him. "Sorry. I tend to ramble." He took a deep breath and swept back a bit of his hair that had fallen in front of his left eye. Then Jazz saw it. A twinkle of inspiration in his eyes, like the feeling one gets solving a nearly impossible puzzle or riddle.

"Here's the plan and it's our best shot. I do like happy endings after all and if anything you could call me more of a whale shark when compared to other lawyers."

It was at that moment that Jazz finally felt like they had a real shot at this.

* * *

**There now next chapter we can finally get on to the Trial. Also I just wanted to state an apology in advance. I'm not super knowledgable in law or other government actions, etc. So if I make a mistake, try to give me a bit of artistic license in the matter. Plus we must remember that we're talking about a theoretical way a government would react if a super-powered being was created on accident.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**Above the Winter Moonlight: And the CIA taking charge of the situation instead of the Idiots in White? Nice.**

**NoSignal: Yep the government is pulling out all the stops, but don't worry the GiW will have their... moment... yeah, let's call it that.**

**alwaysALOHA: I do have one eensy little nitpick, though: CIA aren't allowed to act on domestic issues. **

**NoSignal: Aw oops. I kinda forgot. However, I actually do have a reason why the CIA are involved along with the FBI, but that will be a more clear in the next chapter. Thanks though!**

**NoSignal to Miss Tori: Ah I see. Well I've never liked my voice when recorded and I currently don't have a youtube account that has any serious videos on it. (It's kinda abandoned and I only really use it to fav and subscribe to people.) Thanks for the info and praise though :)**

**JustPassingThru: This book is by far the best fanfiction I have ever read. I am in shock at how well it is written. You built it slowly and perfectly. It kept the reader engaged until you suddenly flipped a switch, and now I can't stop reading. The character development is HUGE. This book could quite honestly stand on its own apart from the actual DP universe.**

**NoSignal: Wow, thanks so much! I'm honored that you think so highly of my story. I certainly hope to continue the standard :)**

**Astrid Fireheart: What Would You Do If You Met Danny?**

**NoSignal: Probably panic, cause I'd be in a different reality.**

**Toolazy to login: I luv this, please update. **

**And maybe I might gain some motivation to login and fave n follow.**

**NoSignal: Lol, glad you like it so much! You're wish has been granted, sorry it was a bit late school time has arrived.**

**NoSignal to Neony022: Thanks you very much! :D**

**Guest: I am learning Esperanto currently and your sentances are correct! Yay for you and nice story. Even if the Esperanto part is done by google translator or another device. If you did that. :D**

**NoSignal: Huzzah! Google translate didn't completely flop on me! Thanks!**

**NoSignal to Guest2 and susana: Thanks for your reviews! Here's a chapter :)**

* * *

**Thank you all so much for your kind words and questions. Even you silent readers out there. Until next time!**

* * *

**Thank you all for your reviews, support, follows, etc! Your kind reviews were amazing guys! Thanks so much :)**

**I hope to keep you all entertained!**

**~NoSignal**


	26. Trials One

**IMP AN:**

**Hey there everyone. First I'd like to say I'm sorry for the lateness for this chapter. It had started out as me wanting to enjoy the last days of my summer without any worry at all, but then like my AN had mentioned as a warning before, school got me good. I'm already swamped with a bazillion and one things.**

**So, in short, I can't promise a chapter every two weeks like I used to. I can only say the chapters will come when they come. I hope things will slow down closer to November when my internship will be over and I'll only have to worry about three classes. So until then, hopefully, I'll try to update every once in a while when I can.**

**I hope you all understand. My creative juices are all still there and I've been thinking about all kinds of stories I want to write after Master Challenge's parts and Pondus Omnium. It's simply my time table that's against me.**

**Until next chapter, best wishes, ~NoSignal.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"The law does not expect a man to be prepared to defend every act of his life which may be suddenly and without notice alleged against him." ~ John Marshall._

zzz

**Ghost Zone? One of Clockwork's Timepieces/Viewing ports...**

Vlad was getting more and more uneasy as he walked about the quiet plane. In all black and white, people walked silently through him on the street.

There were several things that Vlad started to think that could compare to the situation he was in, anything from surrealism to some kind of story archetype similar to the classic A Christmas Carol.

"I better not be visited by ghostly guides," Vlad ground out, thinking this couldn't get anymore pointless.

But lo, time passed… or at least it seemed to and absolutely nothing different happened. Life went on around him. It was truly as if Vlad was simply not part of the earth anymore.

Vlad sighed and because he'd noticed that he somehow had access to his powers in here, minus the pain, he willed a bit of ectoplasm into being so it could function as a hair tie. He was quite frankly getting tired of his hair in his face and brushing against his chin.

With that out of the way, the half-ghost relented and began to explore. It seemed like ages before he finally found something of interest. Daniel and his little friends where walking in the park. It could've have been too long ago, though the lack of the Gray girl was a possible indicator of time placement… at least to some degree.

Vlad walked closer to the talking teens and like magic, a barrier seemed to be breached, because he could now hear what they were saying.

ooo

"Something's wrong though… It's just something I've started to think about."

"Danny, he's dug his grave. Besides it's not like he'd ever change," Sam replied, placing her hands on her hips.

"I kinda have to side with Sam on this one, man. Vlad's gone into the millionaire bad guy territory. I don't think he can come out of that," Tucker continued.

Danny only sighed and looked away. "But what if some of it wasn't his fault? I mean I know I hate him sometimes. Sometimes I hate him more than anything I can even think of, but…"

Sam frowned and walked closer to place a hand on Danny's shoulder. "Danny, I know we can't really understand what it's like… being what you are. If I had to guess, you're probably sympathizing with him because other than Danielle, he's the only person in the world like you and even Danielle is different in a lot of ways. She never knew what is was like to be fully human."

Danny looked at her and Tucker's worried faces. Danny sighed and rubbed his hair harshly. "It's just such a waste and sometimes I think things could be different. Just little moments, you know? And then it's gone. Maybe his obsession is too strong for him."

"He seems articulate and mostly there to me, dude," Tucker answered. "I mean usually when a ghost starts to turn too heavily towards its obsession, they become more animalistic from what Frostbite taught us."

Danny frowned at his friends in thought. "But, that's full ghosts… maybe it's a bit different for half-ghosts."

"What do you mean, Danny?" Sam asked in confusion and slight worry for how her friend was thinking.

"I mean…" Danny took a deep breath. "Clockwork showed me a few other snippets of the future that came to be through… _him._ In one, I saw what happened to me after everyone was killed. My ghost half started to fade without all of my obsession present for me, but my body remained. I think even if my ghost half had faded away, then my human half would've lived… if only for a couple more days. My body was mostly just waiting to die since I had no purpose or drive to live anymore." Danny noticed how uncomfortable Sam and Tucker were getting with the topic and tried to get to his point. "The point is, maybe a halfa's obsession just skews their personality to some degree. Frostbite said that ghosts gain a personality that is only a more exaggerated form of what they were in life, whether kind, lonely, angry, etcetera. We've been thinking that maybe splitting the ghost from the human alters a halfa's personality in some way… maybe an obsession actually works as something of a balance, tilting the personality in one way sometimes. You guys have seen me when I've gone a few days without sleep and try to save every kitten in a tree. A few times… I've even gotten a bit violent." Danny paused giving his friends a darker look. "And we all know what happened to me when I lost my obsession and drive completely…"

"That's all great and fine," Sam finally replied. "But what does any of it have to do with Vlad?"

Danny frowned. "You aren't forgetting he's human too, are you?"

Tucker seemed to think a moment. "You think he's been slowly changing since the get go."

"Even before we knew him. I mean he's had his powers for twenty years," Danny answered back. "The only difference between him and me is that I have somebody there for me. You, Sam, Jazz, even most likely my parents if I told them the truth. Vlad has had no one to help manage his obsession."

Sam grabbed Danny's wrist firmly. "Danny there are a lot of things different between you and Vlad. Just because you were both human and are now both half-ghosts, doesn't mean you're the same. Humans are different from each other. You are different from Vlad…" Sam glanced at the ground. "Though… I will agree that you might have a point."

Danny nodded his head. "I not saying we need to go to his doorstep with a gift basket. I'm just saying… what's been on my mind."

"Why now though? You're getting better with your powers all the time and can even manage school, sleeping, eating, and everything else with your two lives better than before. You don't need a teacher or mentor really. Even if you did you've got like three awesome allies that vary in specialities and Father Time as a guardian. What do you need Vlad for?" Tucker asked.

Danny blinked and went to answer, only for the sound of their voices to fade…

ooo

Vlad gasped in annoyance as the sound faded and so did the three teens' visages. A sense of self-importance and validation had surged through the elder halfa during the snippet and yet so had a feeling of confusion and… something else… loss perhaps? It was frustrating how he could hardly decipher his own emotions anymore.

After several moments of standing there, internally hoping that the phantoms would return, Vlad left and started exploring this strange grayscale world more. He had decided to make his way towards FentonWorks, fairly certain he'd find something for him there as well, when he'd stumbled across sound coming from an alleyway. Curious he floated that direction and started to realize it was crying and sniffling.

ooo

Danielle in her human form sat on the dirty street trying to dry her eyes. For the longest time, Vlad simply watched her crying, rocking herself and hearing the growling of the child's stomach. She never really spoke.

Alone…

A part of why he'd sought to have Daniel as his son was to prevent him from having to live through the loneliness he himself had endured. What irony, what cruelty of fate…

And when Daniel had refused to join him, he had created her in an attempt for he himself to no longer feel alone, and in the process another hybrid suffered… alone.

Vlad took a couple steps back in a mix of discomfort and denial. Of course the child didn't notice his action, but she did speak some.

"He called me daughter… I don't understand."

ooo

Vlad left at a brisk pace, though her mumblings and sniffles seemed to travel with him until finally the sounds faded. Looking up, after making his escape, he found himself in front of FentonWorks.

After a moment, he walked through the door and immediately he saw Jack and Maddie in the living room. Jack was packing a few clothes in a suitcase, filling the rest of it with ghost hunting equipment. Maddie was cleaning a few dishes and making sure a few things were closed up and tidy before they left…

ooo

"I can't wait for the kids to meet Vladdy," Jack smiled broadly as sound came from the scene.

"It has been quite a while hasn't it?" Maddie asked, pausing as she put down a dish. "You really think he's okay?"

Jack stopped and looked over his shoulder with a frown. "What do you mean? He looked great when we saw him at our wedding and he's a billionaire Mads!"

Maddie nodded. "I just think about the accident sometimes and wonder. The doctors seemed so sure…"

"Maybe they were, but Vladdy proved them wrong!" Jack bellowed happily. "I knew they were wrong! Vlad wouldn't give up like that. He could always come up with another solution to something!"

Maddie laughed a bit at Jack's excitement. "I guess you're right. Vlad was creative to say the least, a little withdrawn too, but he must've done something right to get to where he is now. I'm proud of him." She turned to look over a ecto-powered microwave. She double checked it was unplugged and deactivated. "I bet the kids will like him. I know they can get a little over whelmed by our…"

"Passion, Mads. I call it, passion." Jack grinned a big white and happy smile before going back to packing, trying to jam another Fenton foamer in the small suitcase.

"Right. Jazz will probably appreciate his calmness," Maddie finished and walked towards the steps. "I'm going to tell the kids to hurry. Make sure all those weapons have their safety turned on before you finish packing them, Jack."

Jack glanced at the guns that were jammed in his bag and saw almost every one of them had the red marker showing that the safety wasn't on. "Aw man." He pulled one out only for a wave of weapons to crush him.

Vlad stood numb as the visage started to fade and Jack's shout of, "I'm okay!" was the last thing he heard from the scene.

ooo

Vlad grit his teeth in anger. "If you were so worried Madeline… why didn't you come back?"

In a flush of anger he had to remind himself that he hated Jack Fenton and everything his family had done to him big and small. He pushed away all the nice words and pleasantness of the talk he'd heard. He didn't want to hear all that. Blast it! He didn't want to hear it!

ooo

The world around him blurred a bit and suddenly the street and everything was dead. Not only did silence continue to reign, but now no one walked the streets. The only thing he could see were two people down the road. After finally getting his legs to move forward, me marched slowly and then picked up the pace when he noticed who was there. It was Daniel and Maddie.

He paused when he saw the street colored with bright green and crimson, almost like spilled paint on a canvas. For a moment, Vlad had to remind himself that color was a thing. Carefully and almost fearfully he walked forward, looking over Maddie's shoulder.

She was holding Danny, a human Danny with several terrible injuries. Most of them looked as if they had tried to and would've healed, but the last was a perfect blow, right to the core. To shoot a ghost in the core wasn't quite as easy as it was for one to shoot a human in the heart, because the core wasn't quite as solid as one would think and could move slightly on its own accord; however, the feat had been accomplished here as a sickeningly beautiful light blue liquid glittered around the edge of the wound and didn't mix with Daniel's red blood. His unseeing eyes where half lidded as if he'd tried to take a nap but never got there.

Only Maddie's sobs entered his ears as she held her son close to her heart. Her hair and clothes were frazzled and stained with the same bright colors as that ground.

What had caused this? Was this real? Had this happened? Could it still happen? Who was responsible?

Of course none of these questions were answered as other quick scenes were shown before him. Jack sitting in his home, head in his hands and completely silent, Jasmine sitting on her bed gripping some sort of scrapbook that Vlad couldn't see, Samantha sitting in a uniform at an unfamiliar school, Foley talking to no one as he walked through Casper's halls…

Vlad felt his hands trembling, being overwhelmed by all the strange things he was being exposed to.

The world blurred again.

ooo

"Uncle Vlad, I need some time from home. Danny's been irritable recently and getting mad at me for no reason!"

Jazz stood before his mansion talking to a phantom of himself. He watched as this other Vlad answered the girl.

"I see. Come on then, tell me when he's been acting out…"

"Everytime I try to help him catch a ghost that causing too much trouble. I mean I am just learning about how to use some of the equipment and how to fight certain ghosts. Sometimes he makes me mad enough to tell our parents-"

"Now Jasmine, I thought we agreed that we would wait a while longer before telling your parents about Daniel and I…"

"Are you sure that's the best idea?"

"I'm simply concerned about the series of events that telling them could set off… back to your brother though-" The phantom Vlad hummed slightly in thought. "You have to understand that if you're interfering too often with his ability to pursue his obsession, he will get irritable, tired and even ill."

Jazz lowered her gaze to the ground. "I didn't… I didn't even think about that. I mean I've been trying to help, but I keep accidentally catching Danny or messing things up."

"Of course you didn't think of it, else you wouldn't be here," Vlad retorted.

Jazz looked up at him and gave him a look.

Vlad rose a brow in barely hidden smug amusement. "Is that not the truth?"

Jazz grumbled in frustration.

And again.

ooo

"Ack!" The younger Daniel, appearing about fifteen, tumbled backwards from a blast of energy to his chest.

"You still need to work on your stamina. It's a bit pitiful really."

The youngest Fenton sighed in exhaustion and irritation as the rings of light formed around his waist and forcibly changed him human. He growled. "I don't need anymore stamina! The ghosts that show up aren't as strong as me anymore. I need to master more skills like duplication or those eye beam thingies you can use."

Vlad leered at the boy. "Stamina is the basis of everything else. You will not be able to maintain these powers you so desperately want to understand and master. The ability to duplicate will be useless if your body should give out mid combat, hm?"

Daniel opened his mouth and then closed it when he realized he didn't have a comeback.

Vlad glared at him a moment longer before letting out a large exhale. "I'm only wanting to make sure you're properly prepared little badger."

Danny huffed. "Whatever." He glanced up at the clock and balked slightly. "Dang it! I've got to get home in five minutes! Mom's going to kill me!"

"Very well then. Be careful passing Walker's Territory and do well at school," Vlad commented.

Danny transformed and walked over towards Vlad's portal. "I'd like to do that, but I like to think saving people is more important than school work."

"Perhaps, but you must realize that ghosts will be ghosts and you don't need to hinder every single one that comes out of your father's portal," Vlad replied.

Danny frowned.

"A difference of opinion then…" Vlad continued. "Shoo."

Danny couldn't hide a tiny smile before he dove into the swirling green expanse. Vlad was surprised to see his own visage smirk in contentment.

ooo

Blackness surrounded him and all he heard were voices…

"How could you hold the world hostage like that Vladdy? And after all the good fortune you've had in your life."

"GOOD FORTUNE? You infect me with ghost DNA, then steal the love of my life, and you call that good fortune?"

"I infected you? You mean…"

"YES, FOOL! It was your bumbling that made me what I am today. But , I suppose I should saying "thank you", for without you, I wouldn't be moments away from becoming ruler of the Earth."

"I never meant to hurt you, what happened was an accident. Wh... I'm your friend Vladdy, I've always been your friend, I even voted for you."

"I'll remember that when I steal Maddie from you, and make her my queen."

"Jack, you have to help me. You wouldn't turn you back on an old friend, would you?"

"An old friend, no. You, YES!"

"Jack!"

And then silence…

ooo

It was black and silent. Vlad floated in the quiet for a while, trying to process everything he'd seen. Which were memories, which were of other futures and outcomes? He didn't know really what was real and what wasn't.

Terrible fates, lonely fates, fortuitous fates and maybe current feelings?

Vlad growled letting red light fill his eyes. He glared upwards. "I don't know what you're trying to show me or prove, Time Master. Is this supposed to make me change my ways? Am I honestly supposed to forget the pain of betrayal and let go of everything I've built the later years of my life off of!?" Vlad swiped an arm through the air angrily. "Death is natural no matter how sad!"

The visage of Danny dying in his mothers arms flickered in his mind and was replaced by an old Russian woman who also faded.

"If I should end up abandoned by Jack and the others, why should I care!? They did the abandoning, first!"

The voices of from that unknown event between him and Jack were crushed in his mind.

"Those images of happiness with Jasmine and Daniel, they can't come to be because I would merely be ignoring my own feelings! They left ME! THEY ABANDONED ME!"

His voice didn't even echo as the man stood there trying to compose himself. Without another spoken word, an image started to fade into view…

ooo

"Jack!? Jack, oh God, has he gone unconscious?" Maddie asked worriedly as an ambulance pulled up.

Jack was partially cradling Vlad in his arms. The boils on his face were beginning to leak and his hair was very slowly turning more and more white. Before long, Vlad was being pulled up onto a gurney and being taken away. Maddie had offered to ride in the ambulance since Jack wasn't able to fit, so the paramedics had claimed.

Maddie was watching as the medics gave Vlad fluids and started checking his vitals. The college student was moaning, in what appeared to be pain. She grimaced in sympathy as Vlad's hands clenched and unclenched.

"It'll be okay, Vlad. I'm right here."

Vlad watched the scene in a mixture of horror and disbelief. At Maddie's words, his core hummed in his chest.

"I'm right here for you, Vlad."

Burning pain in his chest. It was growing with every word she spoke.

"You need to back-up a bit, miss!" A medic said hurriedly, when monitors started to beep ominously.

"He's going into shock!"

Maddie panicked when they brought out the paddles, ready to introduce electricity to Vlad's body. "Don't die Vlad!"

Vlad watched as his own body convulsed from the shocks the paddles gave.

"Don't die!"

Slowly everything started to fade away, starting with sight, then smell, and last of all was hearing. It was like living through a second death.

"I'm sorry…"

The next thing Vlad was able to see clearly was a doctor, talking to red-eyed Jack and Maddie. They'd been crying it seemed.

"We managed to stabilize him and even his brain activity is normal. It's some type of coma, but for whatever reason it's not following any of the general rules coma cases follow. He only needs to be fed, watered, and helped with waste. To be frank with you both, we're all a bit stumped at this point…"

Vlad looked up to see things begin speeding up and the pages of a calendar on the other side of the room started tearing off at a decent clip. Like watching a movie in fast forward, Jack and Maddie came and went almost every day. Months passed.

"We're fairly certain his state isn't going to improve. At this point we're practically waiting for him to deteriorate enough to where we can legally have the plug pulled."

"But what if that's not what he wants?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. Fenton, we have no record anywhere of what his preference in a coma situation is and he has no remaining family to try and take claim over his treatment, seeing as the both of you don't count." The nurse saw the broken hearted looks on the two friends' faces. "We will call you if his state changes for the better or the worse."

Jack and Maddie left the hospital hand in hand, trying to comfort each other…

Everything blurred again and only voices remained.

"He recovered?!"

"They never called us."

"They said he left suddenly and they never got around to it…"

"Vladdy did it! He beat the odds and he became a rich man all in one fell swoop, what a guy!"

"Yeah… I wonder how he is mentally, after being unconscious for so long."

"You know what this means, Mads!?"

"Hm?"

"We can invite him to our wedding!"

A final snippet of a scene faded into view.

Vlad, almost as he appeared now with neat gray hair and a aristocratic appearance, walked up to Jack as the man prepared his own tux with a little trouble. Vlad was holding a glass of wine and giving Jack a slightly irritated but controlled look.

"I must say, congratulations, Jack."

"Thanks, Vladdy!" Jack bellowed happily. "I think I'm the happiest man on earth right now! I'm marrying a wonderful woman and my best friend is right here with me!"

Jack missed Vlad's grip on the glass getting tighter and one could see Vlad trying to give something of a half-smile. "That's beautiful, honestly."

Jack looked over himself in the mirror one last time before he turned to pass Vlad and walk out of the dressing room. "By the way, V-man… nice hair! It suits you!"

Jack disappeared around the corner before the glass of wine shattered under the strength of Vlad's grip. Red eyes burned back at him through the mirror's image. It was all just a joke to that fat oaf.

ooo

For the longest time, Vlad sat with an emptiness in his chest.

"They… hadn't known?"

That was the simple answer to such a complex subject, to all the hate and justification, the loneliness and bitterness?

It was a web of misunderstandings… The doctors had made it seem hopeless and had promised to call them...

They hadn't known...

Misunderstandings...

They hadn't truly forgotten...

Hadn't known…

The silence slowly ate away at him and he was certain he knew what Purgatory felt like. Then he let out a scream that couldn't be attributed to any one emotion.

zzz

**Washington D.C. Courtroom. Three days Later. 7:03 AM.**

The courtroom was packed. The clicking of specter deflector belts was starting to get on Sam's last nerves. Of course it made sense and was only a simple safety precaution, but did everyone have to click them all at separate times?

The Fentons were to her left, with Jazz sitting next to her and Tucker was on her right, followed by Valerie, Star and her parents, Dash, Paulina and her father, and Kwan. Others had wanted to come and since most were eighteen, they didn't have to have their parents legal say so to take a plane to D.C. and Sam had been willing to pay for tickets, but Sam had drawn the line at some point. A mob wasn't what they needed. Star's parents had come for their daughter and son, while Dash, Kwan, and Paulina had come against their parents' wills; Paulina's father had only come, when he'd realized he couldn't stop her.

Of course Ash and Jace had wanted to come too, but they were not old enough to strike out on their own; even when Jace and Tucker had thought of doing a combination of hacking and manipulation, via Tucker' gadgets and Jace's genius siblings, Sam had told them that they needed to stick to the books. This was the one time she didn't want to rebel. They couldn't risk acting suspicious. She saw Tucker shift nervously; he was keeping the thermos right next to him. She then glanced back to see her parents, Ida, Tucker's parents and Valerie's dad in the row behind.

Her wandering mind was halted by the sound of the large oak doors opening. The few reporters that had been allowed access to record the events of the trial for the nation and in turn the world, started snapping pictures and filming as Danny and Danielle were led in.

It was kinda of uncomfortable to everyone, except the most heartless of spectators. Both hybrids, in human form currently, had the ghost proof shackles on their wrists as well as a strange collar around their throats. If Sam had to guess, the collars were a secondary measure if the two should try to escape without their powers, nothing a good shock wouldn't stop; it made her ill.

Danny glanced over a moment before Danielle did and gave everyone a half-smile. He must be happy to even see their faces again. A couple of men in black suits as well as Agent M, O and K, were the ones to escort them. When Danny didn't move fast enough for Agent's O's liking, the agent prodded him in the spine slightly with a staff, that most likely would normally be electrified to be a weapon.

"Move."

Die-hard supporters of Danny's, Phangirls and the general Phans that he knew not that names of, took the opportunity to rise and start booing the agent.

"Okay, calm down." Danny replied simply to Agent O and walked forward to join his sister at the defendants' table. David was already there and began murmuring to them both as the black suited men silenced the supporters. The three GiW agents sat in the row right behind Danny and Danielle's location.

As everyone calmed further, the Courtroom Deputy rose and banged the gavel once.

"All rise, the Honorable Judge Kaufman, presiding."

Like a hundred thundering hoofbeats of rhinos, everyone rose at the same time. The judge walked in and sat to face the masses. He looked something like David but was aged a bit more and had brown eyes and very dark brown hair. Everyone remained standing as the two juries were brought in. Half were from Congress and the other half were regular U.S. citizens; all thirty of the chosen people had been carefully picked to make sure they all had no bias either way regarding Amity Park, Danny Phantom, or ghosts in general. Of course most might have heard of him at least once, but none of them had any personal connection to the subjects in general, they even had a nice general diversity of race and gender, not that it actually mattered as much in this less than normal case.

Kaufman huffed. "Evidence issues have been resolved and it was decided that no evidence for either party was to be removed from the trial. It seems everything is out on the table then." He coughed once as a scribe and artists captured these historic moments in their own ways. "I will ask the courtroom deputy to administer the oath to the jurors."

"Would the jurors rise and raise your right hand?" The deputy stated as the jurors all complied. After a moment of listening to the oath, the jurors all responded with an I do, before everyone in the room sat.

Kaufman spoke up, "This case is a bit unusual as it doesn't contain one specific criminal offense. To this end, we will be proceeding in a somewhat altered manner. Is the Prosecution ready to begin?"

The man acting as the prosecutor rose after organizing his papers one last time. He was a tall broad shouldered man, with dirty blond and spiky hair. He wore a brown dress shirt with a blonde colored tie and black slacks and dress-shoes. His name was Diego Armando. He walked towards the front of the courtroom to start his opening statement; after a quiet moment of anticipation, Diego turned and locked his emerald green eyes on first the crowd and then the jury.

"Ghosts… It's a term that's quite the misnomer. These… ghosts are nothing more than ectoplasm, a radioactive element that is found as plasma in its most natural form. What I am going to tell you here today is that ghosts are not ghosts. They are, if anything, more akin to elementals, entities of aether, thralls of sorts; perhaps they are the 'beings', a term I use loosely, mentioned in Greek mythology or the Classical period, but are nothing more than that. What is more important to conclude from this brief exploration of the possible correct nomenclature of 'ghosts' is that these beings are not lost souls or creatures with thought or reason. They are not deceased relatives or imagined deities, they are energy based phenomenon that conceivably can latch onto left over emotion or… a conduit slash anchor…" Diego paused from his pacing. "Therefore Danny Phantom and Danielle Phantom are merely the energy left over from the deceased Daniel James Fenton and an unnamed fetus. Their bodies have become something of a anchor, allowing the ectoplasmic energy to house itself in one place."

A few people in the crowds couldn't help but murmur in excitement, confusion or worry, causing Kaufman to pound his gavel in warning.

Diego coughed. "As I was saying… These beings are more over, dangerous. They destroy buildings with little effort, wield the elements, and can easily kill if a human is so unfortunate as to cross their paths. As with dangerous animals, if you disregard needing to actually act humanely towards them, what is it we do to preserve our own safety should they roam into our cities and neighborhoods? We relocate them if they seem non-threatening or we put them down. Fortunately for us, we don't need to worry about them feeling true pain or fear as they can only mimic what information the emotions they've latched onto can tell them. The trade off is that we must fight harder to keep them at bay as their power is far greater than any wandering carnivore or deadly animal could offer. These creatures do not live nor did they live and as such they should be provided no benefits given by the constitution of this nation. I aim to prove this to be the case." Diego nodded and then walked back towards his desk.

Danny tried to relax, clenching and unclenching his hands under the table. He knew everything the prosecutor had said was wrong, but at the same time it had sounded surprisingly convincing to someone who knew nothing about ghosts. He also couldn't help but think about Diego's metaphor about deadly animals. Sam must be having a coronary. He could almost picture her face hot with anger, the animal lover in her just itching to jump in to stand against Diego for the animals as well as Danny; the mental image almost made him smile, but he decided to focus more on what he was facing now. He could listen to Sam rant about it for months after this was over and everything was okay… that was what he kept telling himself.

"That's all he's got?" David muttered under his breath and Danny rose a brow in the direction of his attorney. David looked back at him. "What? Just because he said a bunch of fancy words and came up with a nice _sounding_ theory doesn't mean he has the evidence to prove it. I'll be surprised if my motion to dismiss isn't granted. Oop, see you in a minute, show time." David jumped up, casing papers to fly off his desk like unfinished and less than graceful paper airplanes. Dani smacked her face in a double-face palm and Danny knew his eye had to be twitching.

"David…" Kaufman moaned a bit. "Please do try to show some decorum."

"Sorry, Can't blame a long-legged guy for having trouble fitting under a desk."

"…"

"Right, moving on." David finished gathering and putting away his papers before walking up to the front to address everyone, like Diego had. "Elementals… Not bad I suppose. But how about we go with the facts, hm? Ghosts are ghosts. Yes they are made of ectoplasm, but that's about where the similarity stops with my and Mr. Armando's assessment end. Ectoplasm is highly active and highly energetic as a plasma. Theoretically it's because of this super energetic state that it can bind and form around the souls of things. Yes, ghosts have souls as they are the physical manifestation of said souls. The designation between what kind of ghost is varied to three types, but information on that will be provided later in our time together…" David paused and placed his left hand over his heart, as though mentally beseeching his audience to listen. "They are not to be generalized as my peer has tried to suggest. They are complex in physiology, psychosis, and even society and culture; furthermore, their world is dependent on ours just as the same is true for our world and theirs. From this, I wish to conclude that Daniel and Danielle _Fenton_ are human beings that have simply suffered a genetic mutation. I'm convinced that you will find my position to be correct." David then turned and sauntered back to his desk with a contemplative look on his face. Danny blinked and watched as the slightly older man mumbled some things under his breath and glanced at a few papers.

"Now that we have heard the statements from both sides, we will move onto giving these two gentlemen the chance to present their cases. Mr. Armando, if you would-" Kaufman directed.

"Yes, your honor," Diego answered and rose. "I would like to call my first witness, Dr. Jack Fenton."

Jack frowned after patting his wife's hand and rose to make his way to the front of the courtroom. He sat in the witness's chair. After swearing to tell the truth, Jack faced Diego.

Diego was silent for a moment before speaking. "What do you do for a living, Mr. Fenton?"

Jack smiled a bit. "I'm a spectrologist and an inventor."

"In layman's terms?"

"I study ghosts and invent machines to study and fight them if necessary," Jack replied, keeping a close eye on the man. Jack Fenton could be supremely oblivious, but he knew before-hand to watch for a trap; He'd do anything to prevent causing harm to his children's case.

"I see. Mr. Fenton, did you feel the need to create weapons because ghosts are violent?"

"Objection," David responded calmly. "That question is leading."

"Sustained, counsel please reword your question," Kaufman spoke.

"Mr. Fenton, in your own words, why did you create weapons," Diego continued, showing a bit of irritation on his face.

Jack cleared his throat. "We created them at first to protect ourselves because we didn't know exactly what we were getting ourselves into-"

"And then?"

"We _thought_ ghosts were all violent, but-" Jack replied only for Diego to interrupt.

"What made you believe all ghosts might be violent? They're actions, behavior, or the complete absences of any sort of primitive or advanced communication system in their body?"

"Now wait a moment. We are still doing study-" Jack started only to once again be ignored.

"What more do you really need?" Diego answered.

"Objection, he's antagonizing the witness," David muttered as he tapped a finger repetitively on his desk. Danny and Danielle were too busy watching Diego verbally dance with their father.

"True, but he is antagonizing his own witness…" Kaufman spoke. "Regardless, I suppose you should let up, Mr. Armando."

"Very well, no further questions," Diego responded and Jack let out a sigh.

"Would you like to cross examine the witness, Mr. Hudson?" Kaufman asked.

"No, your honor."

"Understood. Mr. Armando, your next witness?"

"I call Dr. Madeline Fenton to the stand."

Maddie passed her husband as determination became set on her face. She pledged to tell the truth and faced the man that was trying to convince the world, it was okay to murder her son.

"I'm going to assume you have the same occupation as Mr. Fenton?"

"That is correct."

"Wonderful." Diego glanced at the ceiling for a moment and then back at her. He was slightly unnerved by the powerful woman's glare. He pulled out a piece of paper and began to read. "They appear to have no nervous system of any kind and in some instances of induced stimuli they reacted in a way no more advanced than Deroceras reticulatum, a garden slug. The only concentrated organ-like feature they seem to have is nothing more than a concentrated ball of plasma. What causes the plasma to form into such a tight sphere of energy is unknown and will require more study. For now though, using the light scans we've preformed from afar on even more complex looking ghosts, it is fairly safe to determine that all ghosts can neither feel pain or have true reason as they lack the structures necessary to preform such actions."

As Diego had been speaking, Maddie's face had slowly fallen more and more from her set expression. It had been so long ago. During those first few months the portal had been opened and Danny had been just learning about how to control and hide his new powers. She and Jack had succeeded in capturing a green blob-like ghost and opened it up. At the time it had just been a bit of ectoplasm and some blue liquid from the core… She'd completely forgotten about the whole thing. God, she and Jack had destroyed a ghost, a more animal-like ghost, but it was the fact that they hadn't even known and that they'd done it with no inward concern or thought that suddenly threw her completely off track. She shared a quick horrified look with Jack, who seemed to be having trouble hiding similar thoughts and then Danny, oh Danny. He was looking at her with a face of fear, horror and slight betrayal. Something told her deep inside that he understood that at the time she'd been unaware, but that didn't stop him from feeling haunted by his mother's actions. His face looked a bit green in sickness, as though he'd pictured the procedure mentally.

"Mrs. Fenton? Mrs. Fenton?" She whipped her eyes up to stare back at a slightly smug looking Diego. "The question?"

"I'm sorry, repeat it please."

"This is your scientific paper, correct? Words written and published by yourself, not taken seriously until almost a year after publication…"

"Yes but-"

"Yes or no will suffice, thank you-"

"We were wrong though! Just as the Tabula Rasa, the Flat Earth, Spontaneous Creation, and the Earth being the center of the universe were. Science is always chang-"

"That's enough, Mrs. Fenton. No more questions."

Kaufman looked at David who shook his head. "No, I don't wish to cross-examine the witness."

Danny gave David a nervous look while Danielle watched her mother sadly walk back to her family. Jack held his wife's hand and tried to his best to quietly comfort her.

"Do you have another witness, Mr. Armando?"

"Yes, the prosecution would like to bring to the stand, Dr. Ethan Harland."

Danny tilted his head in confusion, not recognizing the name. He looked over to see the stern scientist that had been present during the days he was studied. His greasy dark grey hair framed his glasses covered eyes. He pledge to tell the truth and Diego began the questioning. Danny noticed David lean forward and start to pay even more attention than before.

"Mr. Harland-"

"Dr. Harland, please."

"Of course, excuse me. What do you do for a living?"

"I am a physicist."

"Were you present for the testing and study of Danny Phantom and Danielle Phantom?"

"I was."

Diego pulled out another piece of paper from a stack on his desk. "There are no doubts that these entities are interesting. As for the being known as Phantom, there seems to be a more complex arrangement going on. His body is filled with ectoplasm and it's energy, focused into what is known as his core. From what I've seen, I feel the energy within is very static in accordance to the emotions available for each stimuli." Diego looked up. "Describe for the court, what the stimuli tests demonstrated."

"Certainly." Harland fixed his tie. "The supposed Phantom half of the being seemed geared towards violence, while the Fenton side was quite timid. These were very consistent, showing that they might be some of his only emotional states."

David shook his head and smiled a bit. They really didn't have much except perhaps a dose of bigotry to support their arguments with.

"So what did you conclude after studying Phantom?"

"He's a conglomeration of energies that are stagnant. If anything he is no more alive than a machine, programmed by a strange phenomenon of nature to behave similarly to a living creature."

"Thank you, Doctor. No more questions."

Kaufman glanced at David. "Would you like to question this witness, Mr. Hudson?"

David stood. "I would actually." As Diego took his seat, David walked closer to Harland. "So explain to me again firstly what sorts of stimuli you used against my client."

Harland frowned. "Pictures of ghosts and some humans made him grow aggressive on both the scans and the brain wave readings."

David nodded. "We're going to ignore the fact that you stated said inorganic being has a brain-"

"A dead brain-"

"And focus on the stimuli. You didn't mention that Fenton grew depressed or upset at the signs of destruction… Also please tell me more specifically what the stimuli pictures that trigger aggression actually showed."

Harland clenched his jaw. "Ghosts attacking people and people showing varying degrees of violence."

"So then, you showed violent scenes to a supposed protector and he reacted with violence? How exactly is that different from how a very brave normal human being would act? Do not some people even in the safety of their homes see some kind of injustice on TV and feel a surge of righteous vengeance?"

"Perhaps, but his activity was higher in those localized sections of the brain."

"Theoretically speaking this could have something to do with a ghosts' obsession, could it not? Would something like a strong energy, which has a huge influence over one's physical body, not help to increase those feelings?"

"Objection, speculation," Diego grumbled.

"Sustained, is there a point you're trying to make with this, Hudson?"

David nodded and looked back at Harland. "I only have one last question for you, Mr. Harland."

"Doctor…" Harland ground out.

"Yes… Are you a biologist?"

Harland huffed. "Of course not."

"Did you study the small _biological_ samples taken from Mr. Fenton?"

"They belong to a long dead corpse. Of course not."

"But did you not check to see what sort of energy came from those small pieces? I read over the rest of your report and you stated that if Phantom was merely a mass of organized energy, then any piece take from him would be able to continue giving off energy until neutralized by an outside force."

Harland paused before hesitantly answering. "Right."

"And yet you didn't actually test the samples to see if they retained their energy or lost it over time?"

"No."

David fiddled with his tie. "Tell me again what exactly you _did_ do?"

Harland practically looked like he was going to explode with the amount of red coming to his face. Harland opened his mouth to speak before David cut him off. "The last question was a rhetorical question." He looked at Kaufman. "No further questions for this one."

David made his way back to his desk while Harland stalked out of the room. Kaufman eyed Diego.

"Mr. Armando?"

"I have one last witness I wish to call to the stand." Diego nodded to the courtroom. "Agent I of the Guys in White." With that, a young Asian woman rose, dusted off her stark white suit, and made her way to the front. "Agent I, I have a few simple questions for you."

"Of course."

"The Anti-Ecto Act was set in place for the protection of our citizens, correct?"

"Correct."

"And the main reason this is is because 'ghosts' are very powerful. To be honest, we have next to nothing that could stop a full on invasion of the earth, right?"

"That's correct."

"Even if by some chance these being were intelligent and had sentience, we couldn't possibly live amongst them."

"They are simply to powerful. They can't be trusted or reasoned with. Fortunately for us, they don't have good reasoning skills to begin with. These laws need to stay in place in order to secure the world's safety."

Diego nodded. "Thank you, agent. No further questions."

"Would you like to cross examine the witness, Mr. Hudson?"

David rose again and nodded, showing his consent. He moved closer to the witness' stand. "Let me ask you this, Agent I. Are we assuming that all ghosts or ectoplasmic entities can't be reasoned with?"

"Well…"

"A yes or no will suffice."

"Yes."

"And from that… They are too dangerous to reason with and they can't be reasoned with so therefore they are too dangerous." David paused in his pacing. "Do you kind of see why I'm a bit confused here? That's practically circular reasoning. I'd almost say bigoted."

Agent I squirmed. "It's the truth though."

"Have you actually ever _talked _to the ghosts, listened to what they were saying, gone into the Ghost Zone showing no ill will or at least being peaceable rather than malicious yourselves?"

"Well… no."

"My client has told me many things about the Ghost Zone as have others I've questioned that have actually been there…"

Agent I stuttered, getting flustered. She wasn't exactly the most experienced of the GiW. "Well I…"

"Also, was there a particular reason that the Anti-ecto act specifically states that your fellow agents aren't required to inform family members about ghosts that share the appearance of family members and loved ones? You do realize that if you're wrong, you could be preventing deceased friends and family from having closure with still living people-"

"Objection! That is complete speculation!" Diego announced and slammed his desk at the same time.

"Calm yourself, Mr. Armando." Kaufman eyed David, who returned a sheepish grin to him. "Be a bit more careful, David."

"Of course. No further questions…" David replied and left for his desk.

Kaufman let out a sigh as Agent I left the stand and looked at Diego.

"Your honor, the prosecution rests."

"Very well-"

"The defense would like to pass a motion for dismissal."

Murmuring immediately erupted from the people in the room and Kaufman slammed his gavel. "Order! Order!" He glanced at the prosecution and the defense. "Let's have a short recess while I talk with Mr. Hudson and Mr. Armando."

zzz

**Judge Kaufman's Office. 9:43 AM.**

"So a motion for dismissal? Hudson, are you okay in the head?" Kaufman asked in frustration.

David crossed his arms, ignoring the glare from Diego. "Of course I am."

"This is practically an international trial. Even after this whole thing with Phantom is decided, their will be hell to pay with the UN wether he exist after this or not. We can't just halt the trial in the middle of this mess."

"I think he's intimidated, your honor. He is pretty new to this after all. Talent doesn't tend to win out over experience…" Diego retorted suddenly, trying to hide the nasty sneer on his face, unsuccessfully.

David frowned. "It's not my fault that you've practically not given any solid evidence that my client isn't alive. And if you can't prove physically with your witnesses and doctors that he isn't alive, then almost everything else regarding ghosts and the Zone falls through. This is simply becoming pointless. You have nothing except your bias to back up your theories. Consider a motion to dismiss a mercy kill of sorts."

"Why you-" Diego started before Kaufman coughed, loudly.

"That's enough." Both turned to the look at the judge as the man closed his eyes in deep thought. After a moment he looked back at Diego. "You aren't doing a very good job of proving the young man isn't alive in some way, Diego. You have a great deal of theories and circumstantial information, but nothing physical."

A slow smile started to for on David's face.

"However, we have to continue the trial."

Diego nodded while David looked as though he'd been slapped by a wet fish. "Excuse me?"

Kaufman looked at David. "Personally I agree with you, David. So far I'm not convinced, but this is something that effects the safety of the entire world, possibly. We have to hear every scrap of evidence, no, the world has to hear it all. We have our hands tied. We have to put on a show." He gave a pointed look to Diego. "No matter how poor that show seems at the moment…"

Diego scowled angrily and turned to leave in a huff.

David groaned a bit as Kaufman walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. "Just keep it up."

With that, David and Kaufman left the office to return to the courtroom. David frowned to himself.

_Time to get ready for Round Two…_

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**So I hope this chapter was entertaining. I tried my hardest to make the Trial so far seem tense and well, possible. I know I'm probably butchering the justice system in more ways than I know, but it would also probably be boring if it was written exactly like a script of a trial. Round Two in the next chapter.**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**Great: PS Will Clockwork be IN the trial, I wonder?**

**NoSignal: I believe I'm going to be keeping Clockwork, Wormhole, Reaper, and the Observants secret from the Human world. Heck even some ghosts think they're myths themselves!**

**MissTori: Q: can you make a Phoenix wright joke in the trial plz? **

**NoSignal: There were a few objections (which is normal an any trial though I plan to have one other more obvious and funny Objection later in the Trial). Also, if you're savy enough about Phoenix Wright, you might recognize Diego's name... **

**Ariastella: Also, is there a Wind Core &amp; would it be possible for Danny to fuse his Ghostly Wail with 1 of his Elemental powers?**

**NoSignal: There is not specifically a Wind Core within the AU I've formed. Ghosts that have the ability to use psychic powers then they have control over winds. As for Danny fusing his wail with ice and fire elements? Yes, yes he can. He just doesn't know it yet. :B**

**NamelessPanda: Sorry, I made a little mistake. The Latin word et means and. So you sometimes had a useless and in a Latin sentence.**

**NoSignal: So glad you're enjoy the story! And yeah, I use Google translate T_T so there are bound to be issues. I wish there was a more accurate way for writers to use other languages in their writing. (I'm terrible at learning languages, don't know why...)**

**NoSignal to Anonymous: Ha! It is funny. Made me laugh :) It's fine, btw. I'm happy you're still enjoying it!**

**NoSignal to Ashley EG: Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it.**

**NoSignal to SpicyTacos: Again, I just wanted to say thank you for your kind words and especially for your understanding about my schedule. Thanks! It's appreciated.**

**Ruinous Virtue: One question- can you tell us if Val is going to get her suit back or not?**

**NoSignal: Hmmm... I can't say. I don't want to spoil anything :) Glad you like the story though, thanks!**

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**Thank you all so much for your support and wonderful reviews! I thank you all so much :)**

**God bless and Best wishes to all of you!**

**~NoSignal**


	27. Trials Two

**AN:**

** Hey everyone! I'm truly sorry it took so long. School's been pretty stressful and brutal. Still mostly in the thick of it too. Over time I've been able to get bits and piece of this done.**

**My schedule's still pretty tight so I still can't go back to regular updates yet. The next chapter will come when it'll come. ****However as a side note, if you ever feel the need to check on me or are curious about how far I've gotten on the next chapter, you can PM me. The only thing I ask is to not be demanding or anything of the ilk. I won't get mad, but it will stress me out. Real life before Fanfiction after all.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Oh and before I forget, for all you guys out there that would like to one day see me write a DP x Teen Titans crossover and a DP x Young Justice crossover, tell me what your thoughts on Terra are. I want the chance to pair Beast Boy with Terra in one story and Dani Phantom in the other, but I don't know which one for which. Mostly this kinda effects if Terra dies or not in Teen Titans. So BB and Terra in YJ and BB and Dani in TT, with Terra's death staying mostly as it is canonically or BB and Terra in TT and she lives and BB and Dani in YJ since Terra isn't in that one(Though I obviously could add her like I plan to do with other characters).**

**I just wanted my peeps opinions about it since I'm conflicted. I like making notes of things like this so I can brainstorm aspects of future stories way in advanced.**

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zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

"_Live free or die." ~ General John Stark._

zzz

He slowly rubbed a worn spot on the trinket he had. It was a little silver baseball that Star had given him years ago when they were younger and he never failed to bring it with him for every important moment for his career in law. It was strung about his neck by a tiny silver chain and was most often times hidden. David rubbed it for good luck just because he didn't want to tempt fate with two innocent lives and possibly countless souls. Star had said she owed Danny. What she had meant by that, David had no clue, especially since she hadn't even mentioned they were friends and until the last few days, he hadn't even known there was a boy named Danny in her grade, but if it made Star happy then that was also a bonus. He glanced back as people finished settling back into their seats and looked at his sister. She was staring sadly at both the young Fentons and gave David a fragmented smile when she noticed him. All the questions he had could wait until later though.

Kaufman finally got seated and when everyone else grew quiet, he broke the trance with his voice. "The motion to dismiss has been denied. The defense will continue with their case-"

A small eruption of murmuring of course started up almost immediately as well as a few hecklers, to which David could hardly blame them for their confusion and frustration. Kaufman merely banged his gavel and with a few cold stares from the attending cops and the various men in black suits, everyone silenced. "Mr. Hudson, would you please call up your first witness."

David nodded and stood, taking on a much less carefree air about him then he'd had before. He had been almost certain the case would be dismissed; it was a good thing he wasn't a betting man. He'd forgotten in all his preparation that people in general wouldn't be satisfied by purely facts in a case like this. They needed emotion and things to pull at their deepest moral heartstrings as well. Kaufman was right, now it was a show, not a trial.

"Yes sir. I would like to call to the stand, Madeline Fenton."

Maddie rose form the stands again and made her way up to the witness' stand. She sat and swore to the oath again before looking at David.

"Ghosts do not have nervous systems like humans do, but instead an intricate system of energy diffusion acting in the nerves and neurons' steads. When a full ghost is harmed, energy slash matter is in fact removed from their system. No longer being concentrated by the forces made by the core, causes the removed part to disconnect permanently from the ghost; newly created ectoplasm is later made by the core. The loss of mass is sensed by the core and the core then translates this information for the ghosts' consciousness to understand it is in danger of collapse. If too much ectoplasm is lost, the forces being exerted by the core are not balanced enough to continue sustaining the ectoplasmic body and the ghost disappears from the physical plane. Only if one is quick and prepared, can one destroy a ghost's core before it phases back into the dimension known as the Ghost Zone. If proper equipment is used, one can keep a core from regenerating back inside the Zone and could theoretically destroy said ghost permanently. All spectral entities, from the most primitive slime balls to the more complex spirits of departed humans, share this system. The core of every ghost is able to transmit the information of energy loss to whatever sort of a level of aware consciousness the specter may possess (See data comparison between ghost dog, Cujo, and willing participant, Youngblood - appearance age eight, chronology age fifty four). Ghosts supposedly wish to remain in our plane of existence to fulfill a task, much like living beings do; this core response system gives ectoplasmic entities the chance to protect itself from destruction for as long as possible. From studies preformed in our lab, we've also observed physical response to pain very similar to their living counterparts, ears back and muscle tremors for dog and narrowed brows and facial distortion from human spirit…" David trailed off and glanced about the room at his audience before looking back at Maddie. "Wow is all I can say. A core response system? How interesting. Can you tell me, Mrs. Fenton, if you believe, in your scientific opinion, that a ghost's core can act not only as a heart substitute but a substitute for the brain as well?"

"I have no doubt."

"I see. This report you wrote-"

"Jack and I both wrote it and he had a major part in carefully doing the actual procedures."

David smiled as Jack bounced a little in his seat, looking pleased. "Of course. The report you and your husband wrote, it was written October twelfth of last year, correct?"

"Yes."

"And exactly what was the date that you learned of your son's genetic condition?"

"November fourth of last year."

"So the jury can conclude your natural bias concerning your son and daughter wasn't at play when writing that report?"

"Correct. We had only known Danny's Phantom half to be a full ghost at the time. He had continuously gone against our general theories on ghosts and so we decided to actually see if his statements on ghosts being more than mere ectoplasm had any basis."

David nodded. "It's always wise to consider the possibility of one's own mistakes." He paused. "Now we are aware that you were unable to be apart of your children's… physical check-up." David grimaced at his own attempt to sugar-coat the fact that Danny and Danielle had been looked at almost like lab rats. "But from what you looked at after finding out about your son's and then daughter's condition, you found they have a system that is even more like our own?"

"Yes. Danny and Danielle both have full nervous systems even in ghost form as well as a weak core response, but it seems to be mostly overridden by their human system most of the time. Their core response acts more like a warning regarding low energy levels, not necessarily caused by damage inflicted."

"Sounds reasonable for what, in all practicality, is a hybrid." David nodded. "Thank you, Mrs. Fenton. No further questions."

Kaufman glanced over to Diego as David returned to his seat. The prosecutor rose and quietly walked towards Maddie's place.

"Would the prosecution-?"

"Yes."

Kaufman huffed quietly, planning to give Diego a glare if he was rude again.

"So the core response supposedly monitors energy fluctuations?"

Maddie paused for a moment before answering. "Well yes."

"Do ghosts start to show discoloration near a wound sight as though the flesh is being destroyed in some manner?"

"No. It's simply a loss of mass that occurs."

"So no dying flesh, no true damage other than something disappearing from a concentrated state?"

Maddie immediately saw what he was trying to do, but this Fenton wouldn't have it. "Mr. Armando, I didn't know you were trying to prove dead people were dead. I thought you were trying to prove that ghosts have no sentience."

Diego's face darkened in frustration as a few snickers from the crowd echoed through the room. "Ghosts are still merely energy forced into a pattern. This core response you described is nothing more than giving a false name to the process of entropy that occurs when one removes the wrong preverbal Jenga block from the tower." Diego walked calmly back to his table. "No further questions."

"Very well. Mr. Hudson, do you have another witness for us?" Kaufman asked and entertained his fingers.

"Yes I do. I'd like to call to the stand, Vin Leyton."

The Phantom siblings watched as the kind doctor from the labs rose and made his way up to the front of the room. His salt and pepper hair was combed back neatly and his small button-like indigo eyes were calm. He took his place, took the oath and faced David.

"You were one of the various scientists in charge of looking at Danny and Danielle's physical properties, right?" David started.

"That is correct."

"Could you give us an outline of your findings?"

The older man coughed into one balled fist before lowering it to intertwine it's fingers with the other hand on the ledge in front of him. "From what I studied of the two, they appear to be functioning living organisms. They are extraordinary and not exactly human, but living none the less."

"I see, could you go into more detail?"

"Certainly." Leyton gave a brief pause as though to figure out where to start. "Well to begin with, in their human formes they have nearly the exact same bodily workings as normal humans. A skeleton supports their frame, muscles, underneath skin, contract, organs play the roles they should, even the brain waves almost match up with normal human data. If anything, their biological systems actually work more efficiently than any of our best human athletes. They could go for twice as long without food and perhaps even longer if they had access to free forming ectoplasm or emotional energy. As humans, they do require the same amount of water and can last about the same without it; in their ghost form though, the ectoplasm burns away most wastes as well as minimizing the amount of water lost from more infrequent breathing, thus they can conserve their water for a longer period of time-"

Danny and Dani blinked and looked at each other at exactly the same time.

"We can do that?" Dani whispered softly.

"I guess so."

"Weird."

"A lot of their processes are a bit slower and from what they've told us, they are immune to most diseases. The most remarkable thing though is that their body is vastly more flexible in their ghost form. While their skeletal system is mosty solid all the time in human forme, when their ectoplasm in their DNA is activated all the way, they can potentially reform their entire bodies from no more than a mass of biological material and ectoplasm."

A few people in the room grew green in the face.

"There are limitations to that though. It depends entirely on how activated their core is. If a body part is severed before the system can react to the threat, then permanent damage can be wrought. Somehow in those instances, their is a loss of connection or communication between the regions of the body, which almost is a behavior found amongst some multi celled colonies rather than multi celled organisms-"

"Professor Leyton, if you would state for the jury and the people present today, what you found regarding this loss of communication between cells as well as the fact that Danielle is in fact Daniel's clone."

"Of course. You see, their cells can go through apoptosis. We instructed Daniel to shift into his 'ghost' forme and then we removed a blood sample-"

"And why did you have him shift?"

"So that his blood would be glowing with activated ectoplasm."

"And why did you want it to glow?"

"So we can see when it stopped glowing."

David smiled a tiny smirk. This subject would come back around to what Professor Harland had failed to talk about properly in the prosecution's case.

"Why does that matter?"

"Well just like there's a theory out there that Mitochondria were once bacteria that hijacked our cells and over time became part of multi celled organisms' biology, my colleagues and I came up with one on our own. The ectoplasm is so tightly bound to the biology of every cell in the Phantoms' bodies that it is reliant on it. The human half is benefited greatly from the powers and evolutionary advancements that the ectoplasm provides, so the question is, why doesn't the ectoplasm simply burn their bodies up, suck them dry or kill them immediately when it was introduced to their systems? Their bodies captured the energy source and integrated itself with it with the help of outside stimulants like electricity or electrode stimulation. Their bodies have adapted. That and their core or… their soul… help keep the truce between the two conflicting halves. It's seemingly taken over the activate job of monitoring both halves."

"So you're insinuating that the core of a ghost is actually one's soul?"

"Objection!" Diego shouted, having finally reacted his tipping point during the long talk. "That is complete conjecture, your honor."

"Is it?" Leyton asked quietly. "This is the first time in many years that I'm reconsidering things. If the ectoplasm that comes from the fully formed manifestation of a core and supposedly a soul is just ectoplasm, then a sample of blood taken far from the source, the core, should continue to glow and emit energy. Ectoplasm in its natural and non-organized state glows without aid. When we did this to Daniel and Danielle's blood, the cells died like a humans and the ectoplasm stopped glowing and even faded away. Blood and ectoplasm being made by two different systems, the bone marrow and the core, are working in perfect harmony. That and a supposed corpse being possessed by a ghost shouldn't have viable DNA that could be healthy enough to be used to create an entirely new being. They are in fact clones, nearly a hundred percent identical, like identical twins practically. The only obvious difference being gender."

Hartman hummed. "I'll allow it."

Diego settled slowly, retaining his calm.

"Do you have any more questions for your witness?" Hartman asked, turning to look at David.

"No your honor."

"Very well, would the prosecution like to question the witness?"

"No, your honor."

"Next witness?"

David nodded as Professor Leyton pulled himself up and calmly made his way back to the rows of seats. "I'd like to call to the stand, Doctor Lorey Garber."

The time drug on as David brought up each of his witnesses. Garber had talked long and almost passionately about how distinct the Phantoms' emotional reactions had been to stimulus and in interactions between each other. They not only had adaptive emotional responses, but they also correlated with physical evidence of emotion.

A firefighter from Amity came up next, giving the crowd and jury the chance to hear more specifically about Danny's moral choices. Robberies, fires, and car accidents, countless times that Phantom had arrived to help the first responders. These acts of heroism didn't even account for the ghost attacks at all. The firefighter could remember seeing exhaustion plague the young hero, but never letting it stop him from going into the burning building one more time or trying a again to peel back bent metal that trapped bodies. Knowing now that Phantom was more than a ghost and in fact had human needs had floored the fire department and the police force both.

Diego tried to bring up the incidents of Danny's stealing and kidnapping and other blights on Danny's heroic record while questioning the firefighter. When David brought Sam to the stand, he started by having her recount the reasons behind those episodes, before moving onto more personal things.

"Sam, did he always act like the Daniel Fenton you'd grown up with?"

"Yes. From the moment of his accident on, he never faltered at being just Danny."

"Are you sure you weren't biased because of your close bond to him and even more so after becoming involved with him?"

"No. Danny's body changed a bit, with how it works and what it can do, but Danny himself never changed. Even the confidence he showed as Phantom was normal. Not many people had really ever bothered to get to know Danny, that's why it doesn't seem like Fenton and Phantom's personalities are similar. Not many people saw Phantom when he got nervous and not many people saw Fenton when he had to step up and fight. I did though. He's just Danny."

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton shared a sad look between each other at the thought that they hadn't tried hard enough to really know their son for so long. Jazz placed a comforting hand on her mother's thigh.

"Thank you Miss Manson."

"Would the prosecution like to cross-examine this witness?"

"Yes, your honor." Diego walked up, looking Sam in the eyes. "How do you-"

"How do I know it's him?" Sam asked, cutting off the man. The room when deadly silent. "I know it's him because he started to panic after he got out of the portal. I know because of the way he looked at me right before passing out. I know because he still likes ketchup under his patty instead of with the mayonnaise on top. I know because he still hates toast. I know because he still wrinkles his nose if he's upset about something. I know because he still wears a shirt almost every time he uses the public showers at school or decides to go swimming. I know because he still has trouble saying 'burglary'. I know because he still dots his I's before finishing the rest of the word even though he prefers cursive." Sam paused, taking a calming breath. "Do you want me to continue? I've known him since we were like five. I could give you the same run-down for Tucker and they could do the same for me. Yes, he may have gotten into some bad looking situations, but here's the thing, it's all the times he had the opportunity to do terrible things and didn't that count more."

Diego scowled a bit. "Or he could be using his pre-programmed memories to _pretend_ to be the Danny you remember?"

"For what? A plan more than four years in the making? To become the most powerful ghost? To rule over everything? I fail to see any logical reasoning behind your ideas. Danny's been able to handle most all of his enemies since over a year and half ago. Only a select few that come to Amity ever gave him any problem after that. To become any more skilled, he would've had to have had gone deep into the Ghost Zone, constantly searching for primordial powers or other long dead gods. He's hardly had time for that."

Diego gave the girl a small glare, that was barely hidden from the rest of the audience. "Of course, because it's inconceivable that your friend died and is no longer the boy you knew. No further questions."

Sam had her mouth open, but snapped it closed once he'd shut her down. Maybe he'd gotten the last word in, but what he'd said still wasn't well supported.

"Mr. Hudson?"

"Yes. I have another witness."

"How many do you have!?" A heckler shouted from the back.

David ignored him as Tucker walked forward to stand beside him.

"Mr. Hudson?"

"I thought that since we are trying to make a decision regarding ghosts, that perhaps we should get their side of the story."

The Guys in White that were present, immediately rose to grab for their weapons and even the black suited men, tensed.

"Mr. Hudson, what exactly do you mean?" Kaufman asked, showing nervousness on his face for the first time.

"Mr. Foley?"

Tucker only nodded before uncapping the thermos. In a flash of light, Technus and Wulf tumbled out.

"Finally! This type of treatment is unacceptable! I now smell like wet dog!" Technus shrieked in annoyance and impatience.

Wulf shook his fur and cocked his head. "Wet? Not wet."

"It's a figure of speech, you mutt."

"Not mutt." Wulf growled and extended his claws in one large paw as a threat. Technus paled a bit, as much as a ghost could.

"Guys! Now's not that time," Tucker expressed. "Wulf, would you get the others here?"

Wulf nodded before using he ready hand to claw open a large hole into the Zone. Everyone continued to stay absolutely frozen in either fear or shock at the turn of events. Before long, Frostbite and Dora joined the other two ghosts in the courtroom. Dora immediately turned to face Danny.

"Sir Phantom? Are you alright?" Dora asked worriedly.

Danny smiled faintly. "Dani and I are alright. Don't worry, Dora."

She glanced about the room. "So this is the place humans of this age judge their criminals?" She turned and looked at Kaufman. "Is he your king?"

Kaufman coughed nervously.

"No Dora. He's called a judge. A person who's appointed the job of observing cases involving criminals," Danny answered with a smile.

Dora nodded. "I see. Thank you."

"I am glad to see you in good health, Great One," Frostbite mumbled.

"Thanks Frostbite."

"Mr. Hudson."

David looked up at Kaufman, who was starting to give him a hard look and the Guys in White cocked their weapons. "A little warning would have been nice."

"You had the list of the witnesses names…"

"I thought they were strange names, not ghosts."

Frostbite rose a hand, freezing over the Guys in White's weapons, making a few fearful people gasp. "We mean you no harm, but I do no appreciate your people aiming such weapons at my allies." The black suited men seemed to be tense, watching closely, but yet, not acting...

"You're ghosts!"

"And you are undoubtedly humans. Are we going to exchange any more _intelligent_ statements of fact?" Technus grumbled.

"You're chill now? Since when?" Danielle asked in confusion.

Technus huffed. "That has yet to be decided… however, making it more difficult for these bias men in white uniforms to harm ghosts in general is something I do indeed support believe it or not. That and I suppose I'm tired… tired of being angry."

Frostbite's eyebrows lowered in understanding and he rested a large paw on Technus' shoulder. "I congratulate you for taking such a step, Technus."

Technus snorted. "Keep your congratulations to yourself, Ice giant."

"Objection, this is introducing evidence and or a witness not cleared by the courts," Diego spoke and rose, eyeing the ghosts in the room wearily.

Kaufman sighed and massaged his temples.

"If I may, this is not a normal trial and it is with what you could call unnatural context. We are prosecuting not just two young people, but an entire group of people without really hearing their story. I say let them speak. We've been wrong after all this time. Dead men do tell tales."

"Uh-huh," Wulf grumbled, letting his tongue slip out of the side of his mouth. A bit of ectoplasm splatted on the ground.

"They are as follows. An entity with an ectoplasmic level of 14.2, level 12, level 18.5, and level 15.9. We can't simply let them stay. They are an extraordinary threat to everyone here!" Agent M expressed.

"I assure you, we are not," Frostbite stated calmly. "You need to calm yourself, sir. As I've stated before, we mean no harm. We come as a bringer of peace and good will. Perhaps if you understand more about us, you will find yourself less afraid."

"I will allow it," Kaufman finally said sparing an almost invisible glance to the black suited men. The cameramen and reporter excitedly readied themselves again, happy to have the ghosts here for their story.

"Thank you, your honor. The first one I call to the stand is Frostbite, King of the FarFrozen."

Frostbite nodded and lumbered towards the seat. Since it was too small of a chair, he stood and, with a bit of aid, took the oath. Wulf, Technus and Dora sat on the front row, which was unoccupied by people.

"Frostbite, welcome."

"Thank you, Mister Hudson. An honor to meet you in person. Tucker of the Trendy Tech told me about you."

"Well thank you." David then halted in front of Frostbite. "Could you tell us a bit about the history of your people as well as their place in the Ghost Zone? Would that be acceptable?"

Frostbite nodded. "Our written records are a bit old and were damaged many years before my rise to kingship, but from what I've studied, we were the protector spirits of the Inuit peoples. Many many years ago, they called out to our ancestors for guidance and in that way we taught them the ways of the ice and the cold. Perhaps before then we had been their deceased relatives, given new form by our respect for the animals we hunted, but there is no proof of this in our records. After a certain period of time though, they stopped calling out to us and so, we tried no more to aid them. Sometimes new spirits come to our group, but not as often as they used to. We remain, in case they ever need us, this is the only reason we linger. As for our place in the Zone…" Frostbite paused. He simply couldn't tell all humans about the Infimap and how it was created from the maps the aurora borealis drew in the skies in ancient times, nor that it was specifically their job to guard it. "We are a well established kingdom within the Zone and regarding grave matters we are informed of such happenings. Most kingdoms remain separate and do not cross into other territories, but in times of need, we come together."

"Fascinating. So the Ghost Zone have various kingdoms and providences."

"Oh yes! Perhaps thousands of different lands and kingdoms all with their own peoples and purposes for remaining here. There are undoubtedly more than that as the Infinite Realms are indeed infinite, but no one has travelled beyond the green haze."

Danny perked up. "Green haze? Are there other colors?"

Frostbite gave a somewhat sad smile to the boy. "I had intended to teach you more, before these happenings all occurred, but even I do not know what lies beyond that point. I suspect only a very select few, do." Frostbite gave Danny a look, indicating that he was referring to Clockwork and the other higher beings in the Zone.

"Even more interesting. So to be clear, the Ghost Zone has a government?"

"Yes. Perhaps not as strictly organized as yours, but it need not be. It has it's own natural order of things, that and ghosts tend to obsess over their duties. Most don't dare leave their homes or kingdoms. The ones you see in the human realm are loners that are loyal to no group. That is where Walker is supposed to bring about order, but we've been having trouble with him the half century."

"You're telling me." Danny and Danielle muttered at the same time.

"You haven't thought to remove him from his place in all that time?"

Frostbite smiled. "Government is fickle, no? That and something like a century is a blink of a eye to beings like us."

"I see and yes government is fickle or perhaps it's the people." David smiled as Frostbite broke out into raucous laughter that almost reminded some of what Santa Claus would sound like.

"Indeed Mister Hudson."

"Thank you Frosbite."

Kaufman nodded. "Would the prosecution like to question the witness?"

"Yes." Diego took David's place. "You are merely a conglomeration of energy. You are all merely following a predetermined path designated by your previous lives. The fact that you stated most ghosts don't like to alter from such paths proves this, does it not?"

Frostbite smiled. "Of course not. All ghosts are different, as are spirits, wraiths, demons, youkai and other things."

Diego paused. "You make distinctions?"

"Of course. Though we all tend to interchange the words a lot. There are proper terms for each type of being. Ghosts are entities who remain on earth to find peace with unfinished business be it benevolent, benign or malicious in intent. Spirits are entities that can't easily interact with the living but remain in order to follow a specific duty entrusted to them. Wraiths are more animalistic and almost always malicious. They almost mindlessly guard places or items and most often they are forced to remain on earth due to a curse of some sort, which is why they appear to have no true consciousness. Demons are as you know them as, evil beings that seek only to harm. Sometimes they will pretend to be children or even animals. Youkai are interesting. They aren't Demons as they have been translated as, but they aren't innocent either. They are almost like living beings that have aged long or have been given the power of a spirit in a mortal body. They live for a long time and tend to have varied existences, sometimes malicious and sometimes benevolent. Then Angels are also easy to understand. They are rare beings of great compassion and love. Sometimes an entity can ascend to that state, but it is almost unheard of. Angels were always angels and for another being to become an Angel is nearly impossible."

Everyone was quiet, each dealing with this new info in their own ways.

"I see…" Diego paused, actually speechless. "But a ghost has no DNA, correct? You only have an abstract core, no-" The prosecutor seemed to have trouble forming a intelligent sentence. He was angry, but even he was starting to wonder if there was any way to prove that ghosts were purely evil. What could he say? What could he prove? Was there anything to prove?

Frostbite leveled his kind gaze on the man. "This is true. Only a half-alive being like young Daniel possesses DNA. Then again, Daniel, Danielle, and Masters are unique cases. For a normal ghost our equivalent is not physical, so I have nothing to give but my word. As soon as the body fails and the biological form breaks down, the soul can finally serve it's true purpose. Does this make our existence a bit more clear to you?"

Diego was silent before- "No further questions."

"Very well."

As time went on, both Dora and Technus had their chance to speak. Dora explained a bit more about different kingdoms and daily existence, while Technus talked about obsessions. Diego tried to make a point about how dangerous a ghost can become even if their obsession is accidentally threatened, but Technus merely mirrored that statement with humans and how they were often unpredictable. Ending his turn with a jab at the idea of trying to protect people from life. Things happen and sometimes they aren't fair.

Finally David indicated his last witness, Wulf.

"Hello Wulf. This is Mister Schrödinger. He will be translating your Esperanto for the rest of us gathered here. Do you understand?" David asked.

Wulf nodded. "Yes."

"Excellent. You seem to know some English."

"Danny. Friend help."

"That's great. Now, the reason I've called you up here, is to show people that appearance in the Ghost Zone can be deceiving. Just because you appear to be more animal than man, doesn't mean you have the mind of an animal. In fact, most animals in the Zone are given human intelligence upon death or creation, correct?"

Wulf cocked his head before speaking. "Jes. Bestoj estas donitaj komprenon sur morto. Ne multe pli ol en la vivo, sed sufiĉe por kompreni iom pli bona. La plej sekura maniero por paroli al ili estas uzi latinan kiel ĝi estas baza lango preskaŭ ĉiuj estaĵoj rekoni. Iuj diras, ke estas alia lingvo kiu neniam estis uzata de la mortemuloj, sed nur tre maljunaj fantomoj scias ĝin kaj uzi ĝin por paroli al tre malnovaj spiritoj aŭ bestojn. Mi mem fakte beston. Mi estis kreita tra penso pluraj jarcentoj. Mi komencis kiel normala besto kaj transformita kiel la popola pensoj faris. Plej bestoj kiel mi havas la kapablecon de pasi inter la sferoj, kiel la bestoj nomitaj unukornuloj de homoj. Kontraste normala bestoj kiuj iam vivis, ni havas tiel intellengence kiel la seres kiu kreis nin."

Everyone almost at once turned to stare at Schrödinger. He coughed. "He said as follows: Yes. Animals are given understanding upon death. Not much more than in life, but enough to understand a bit better. The safest way to speak to them is to use Latin as it is a basic tongue almost all beings recognize. Some say there is another language that has never been used by mortal men, but only very old ghosts know it and use it to talk to very old spirits or beasts. I myself am actually a beast. I was created through thought several centuries ago. I started as a normal animal and transformed as the people's thoughts did. Most beasts like me have the ability to pass between the realms, like the creatures called unicorns by humans. Unlike normal animals that once lived, we have as much intelligence as the beings who created us."

Diego felt himself grow frustrated again. "Objection! Your honor, are we really going to start listening to the ramblings of animals now? This creature's mental capacity can't be up to par for the legal system!"

Kaufman waved his hand. "Wulf appears to be of sound mind, if Schrödinger is anything to go by. Besides, he's capable of learning almost two languages perhaps three. I would like to think that's a good sign of mental capacity." He turned to David. "Continue."

David nodded as a practically defeated Diego slumped and nearly pouted in his seat. "In short, most entities in the Ghost Zone are sentient?"

Wulf nodded. "Yes. All things have place." He scratched behind his left ear. "Cxio havas siajn gravecon. Ruinoj ofte sanktaj kaj fantomoj, spiritoj kaj aliaj entoj resti malantaŭe por iliaj propraj kialoj. Ĉio estas kiel ĝi devus esti."

"All things have their importance. Ruins are often sacred and ghosts, spirits and other entities stay behind for their own reasons. Everything is as it should be," Schrödinger translated swiftly. Danny merely smiled at Clockwork's favorite quote.

"Very well. Is that the conclusion of the Defense's case?"

"Yes your honor."

"Then let us move onto rebuttals and closing statements."

Diego walked up and took David's place as Wulf lumbered over to take an awkward seat, he still didn't like chairs much. Diego then went over several of his points, expressing and reiterating the danger involved with such creatures. It was short and quick and played on mortal fears, but at this point, that was all Diego could try to do.

Then is was David's turn. _Time to put on a show._

"Death. What is it about death that puts fear in our hearts? For ages were feared it because it is often associated with earthly things, pain, sadness, unfinished business… This is our chance to progress humanity further, to answer some questions that eluded us for so long. Peace. Enlightenment. Are those things we all strive for?" David turned and looked at everyone. "Furthermore, Daniel and Danielle Fenton are alive. They have organs, they both enjoy eating food at the Nasty Burger with their friends, they both hate toast, and they both love their family dearly. Ectoplasm in their system, in their DNA, is merely a condition. The only difference between this condition and a disease is that they require a daily dose of saving your lives to stay healthy. This is only a benefit to you. These beings have their own government, world, and if we aren't more careful we could end up angering them all. Wouldn't you rather have allies amongst them, than enemies? Yes there are risks, but life is full of risks… and as Frostbite once informed me, death is full of reflection… Risks… and Relfection… that seems to make a lot of sense, doesn't it? Life and Death… to turn against that is to turn against nature… Man kind has wondered for all time what lies beyond the veil… What is death really? What is life? The answers are being practically given to us. Let us not make a foolish mistake here. This is another turning point in history. I hope you all make the right choice."

David nodded and then walked towards his desk and a waiting Danny and Dani. Diego frowned before looking at Kaufman. "I have nothing else to say. I pass on my second rebuttal. I believe the choices are clear."

Kaufman looked over at the jury and the Congressmen. "Well, ladies and gentlemen of the jury and of Congress. We leave you to deliberate. Take in all the things you have heard and consider your opinions. Should the Anti-Ecto Acts be repealed? Are Daniel and Danielle Fenton and even the currently wanted Vladimir Masters, citizens of the United States? And finally, should charges against Daniel Fenton regarding theft, kidnapping and assault be dropped? Good luck and go with God."

As the jury and Congressmen left for the deliberation room, David looked at Danny and Danielle. "My business partner, Nathan, just sent me a text from the civil courts division. If you are both declared human, then Danielle's birth certificate will be officially rewritten. He said they also bought Tucker's story about having someone else make the fake one and him not knowing it was such an offense," David finished in a whisper.

"So I'll be truly part of the Fenton's family?"

"Yes you will."

Danielle smiled happily with a look of serenity on her face that was hard to match. Danny, at least the best he could still cuffed, placed a hand over hers. "It's just a piece of paper."

"I know, but it means something to me. Thanks any ways, Danny."

zzz

**Courtroom. 5:33 PM.**

Two hours after the trial had come to a close, the jury and the Congressmen filed back into the courtroom. They all stood at attention and the Senator of Indiana, symbolically enough, held the piece of paper from which he would read off their verdict.

"Has the jury come to an agreement?" Kaufman asked and an audible creek filled the air as everyone leaned on the edges of their seats.

"We have, you're honor," the Senator stated before glancing down to read word for word. After Kaufman asked Daniel and Danielle to rise during the reading of the verdicts, the senator spoke, "We the jury on the first count of theft, by Daniel Fenton, find the defendant, not guilty."

Danny nervously felt hope bubble in his chest.

"On the second count of kidnapping, we find the defendant, not guilty."

Sam's grip tightened on her arm rests.

"On the third count of assault, not guilty."

Jazz, ever the practical person ironically found herself crossing her fingers and pleading for luck or a miracle.

"Regarding the citizenship claims of Daniel and Danielle Fenton, we the jury find the defendants to be undoubtedly citizens of the United States of America."

Danielle's eyes widened before they began to water as relief flooded her system. She felt Danny let out a shaky breath.

"And Regarding the Anti-Ecto Acts, we the jury unanimously agree that they should be repealed. Discussions between the House and the Senate will begin as soon as possible regarding our new understanding of the Ghost Zone and its inhabitants."

Smiles broke across several people's faces and predictably murmuring, clapping, and shouting broke out. Danny immediately encircled Danielle's head with his restrained arms so he could hug her.

"Is it really over?" Danielle asked quietly as the siblings parted.

"Yeah. I think so."

The men in black suits moved forward and slowly unlocked the cuffs and neckpiece from the two Phantoms, which brought in a massive round of applause from most onlookers.

"I'LL SAVE YOU FROM YOUR CURSE!"

And like that, all hell broke loose. There were screams and shouts as a GiW Agent lunged over the seats, Ghost Gauntlets sparking. They were like the ones Danny's dad had shown him in the lab months ago. More importantly they were the kind that had helped given birth to Dan Phantom and they were spearing towards Dani's chest.

Danny dove.

He'd been separated before. His body should be able to handle it. Having the ectoplasm removed didn't feel great, but none of those types of weapons could stop the division of his soul. Being a half ghost wasn't just a physical thing, both halves were connected to the core, two halves bond so tightly together that to try and separate the human and ghost half could only result in the halving of one's very soul. Dani might not survive such a thing though. She could melt if she was split. Though being deprived of ectoplasm and having it exorcised from his body were two different things, that might not matter for Dani's fragile existence. At least, it was a threat he couldn't risk. If things went bad. They could destroy him.

Even though the long claws from the weapon didn't actually cause direct pain from penetration, the fire the burned through his body at all his ectoplasm being torn from his person made him let out a animalistic cry of torment. The Fenton Ghost Catcher felt so much like water, the removal was somehow smooth and painless, but the Gauntlets, oh God. Maybe it had been this one moment that had driven Dan completely off the deep end.

With a flick of his wrists, Agent S, a man that Danny had never seen before, had never encountered, had never even almost and accidentally harmed, tore the boy in two. Fenton was tossed to the agent's left and Phantom to the right. Both landed in a awkward mess. Maddie let out a cut off cry of horror, not knowledgable about what the weapon had just done to her child, since of course she'd never tested it against a halfa. Damon Gray felt blood drain from his face. He'd cleared that and a few other weapons that the Fentons had developed with Axion in recent months. It was partially because of him that such a thing had found its way into that agent's hands. They were easily concealed as bracelets in the newest form.

"Order! Restrain that man!" Kaufman shouted out, but the black suited men had beat him to it. They even went so far as to make the other agents present there, step away and disarm.

Frostbite kneeled next to Phantom's form as Sam and Dani made their way to Fenton's.

"Great One? Are you alright? Please, say something."

Finally, Phantom looked up with hazy green eyes. "That… that really hurt." His eyes then slowly widened as though some knowledge was coming to him. "No… no no no no no no no-" Phantom almost seemed to become cationic at that point.

"Great One?"

"Amiko?"

"Sir Phantom?"

Phantom clasped his hands over his ears. "I… I… He… he'll…"

Sam narrowed her eyes at Phantom before looking back at Dani as she tried to shake Fenton awake. Slowly her eyes grew wide as Tucker and some others made their way to the front.

"SEE? I'VE FREED HIM! I'VE FREED HIM FROM THAT ECTOPLASMIC SCUM!" Agent S screamed, almost maddened as he was being restrained.

Sam started to shake slightly. "Dani, get back."

Dani cocked her head. "What do you mean? We need to wake up Danny!"

"No, just back away."

"But-"

"Now, Dani."

Dani went to stand, still confused before she felt something grab her wrist, tightly.

"Now where do you think, you're going?"

Dani turned in joy only to look in confusion at her brother's face. He was giving her a look he'd never given her before. There was no love, no compassion, it was blank, empty. "Danny?"

"Yes, little copy?"

Dani flinched in surprise. Danny had never NEVER called her that. Sam grit her teeth and looked at the agents. "You idiots! Don't you see? Fenton and Phantom, it doesn't matter! It's only Danny. Now we have two emotionally unstable beings that aren't a full person!"

"Ouch, that's harsh, Sammy."

Sam's gaze snapped back to lock with Fenton's blank one. "Fenton… easy."

"Easy? What? You almost sound like you're afraid of me, Sam. Why? I don't have ghost powers anymore. I'm not a freak. Not a monster. Not able to hurt you should we grow… closer."

_So he had considered it…_ Sam thought sadly. "You aren't any of those things, Danny."

"Freak, Loser, Wimp, Halfa, Great One, Not a Ghost Not a Boy, who could love me? Dashell Baxter Baxter Baxter Baxter… Red HUnTrESs red BITCH- Humans are evil Ghost are evil. I'm EVIL LIVE I Live so live evil. Damn it OBLIVION ABOMINATION. NO COURT NO LOVE SEND THE BLIGHT TO THE PIT! ONE EYED CREEPS!" Danny started raving, pulling at his hair after Dani had wrenched herself free of his grip and floated back to the others in ghost form.

Frostbite, Dora and Wulf's faces adopted very sad expressions and the leader of the FarFrozen glanced down at the shivering form in his arms, that was trying in vain to block out his other half's words. "Oh Great One, what pressures your mind has suffered."

Star looked at Sam as practically everyone else watched in stunned silence. "What do we do?"

Tucker swallowed nervously, answering for his peer. "At least he's human, so we could restrain him… But…"

"But what?" Paulina asked. Dash had a dark haunted look on his face as Fenton laughed at no one.

"The Fenton Ghost Catcher has a reversal switch. The Gauntlets don't. Even if we put the two Dannys through the Catcher back home, there's no guarantee that it'll work."

"What!?" Valerie blurted.

"The two weapons' technology runs in two different fashions. The Catcher is supposed to be a smooth filter-like method of extraction and the Gauntlets are supposed to be… more messy, but their intent was to force ghosts from overshadowed hosts, which would cause no harm to either ghost or human. Using them on a Halfa though is different…" Maddie explained.

"But…" Dani murmured.

Fenton growled. "Who says I want to go back, huh!?"

Phantom cracked open an eye and slowly, with Frostbite's help, rose from the floor. "Fenton… puh-please try to calm down."

"I am calm! You shut your mouth, you worthless pile of sludge… Monster… you ruined it…" Fenton whined before he hiccuped, tears coming out of nowhere. "I'll… I'll never be an astronaut AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Fenton took a running start before tackling Phantom and the two started to roll all over the floor.

"Stop! Stop! Pull yourself together!" Phantom yelled. Ghosts and humans alike moved to try and pry the two apart. Sam grabbed Fenton's shoulder, right before Fenton swung back and struck her across the face.

Phantom's eyes widened as Sam stumbled back from the blow. Fenton might not have ghost strength anymore, but he was still a nearly grown young man. With a growl, Phantom lunged. "How dare you!"

Finally everything grew completely silent once more. Fenton was thrashing helplessly against Phantom's grip, spitting and grunting. Phantom was quietly holding him down, barely using any power to do so. A crushed look adorned his face, as he watched his human half pitifully struggle against something he could never hope to best. A soft hand rested on the ghost's shoulder and he dared looked up into his girlfriend's eyes. A small spot was already starting to turn purple near her jaw. Another hand and then another and both Tucker and Dani were trying to comfort him.

"Burdens are made easier by more ready sets of hands, Great One. Remember to let others help you carry your burdens," Frostbite spoke.

Slowly a police officer walked over and used his pairs of cuffs to cuff Fenton's wrists and ankles. The half-human as you could practically call him, continued to thrash. Jack was eventually the one to kneel and lift up his human son into his arms.

Sam looked over at the ghosts. "Wulf can take you all back now."

Frostbite nodded in understanding. "Of course. But please, if you can, send word of the Great One's condition…"

Something in the way the giant spoke made Sam believe he would be staying with Clockwork to watch Danny's fate for himself.

Kaufman finally found his voice. "Court dismissed." He banged his gavel.

zzz

**Private Plane. 6:29 AM.**

"So he had been at the preverbal bottom of the food chain at Casper, huh?" David asked his sister. Currently, Paulina, Star, Kwan, Dash, and the adults that had come with them were in a private plane, provided by Paulina's father.

They had offered to make room for the Fentons, Mansons, Foleys, and Grays, but they had gone in the Manson's own private plane. It was probably for the best and if the kids here were honest with themselves, they didn't want to be near Fenton or Phantom; it made them more than sad.

"Yeah…" Star murmured quietly. The adults were near the back, talking in low whispers. David had been with them at first, but had eventually come to talk with his baby sister and her friends.

"I see. He really is a hero, isn't he?" David expressed with a wistful smile on his face.

"Didn't you know that before?" Kwan asked.

"Well I figured it, but that's the thing with defense lawyers. Sometimes you have to defend someone you don't like even if you believe they did actually commit a crime," David explained. "Law is kinda of a strange world and it's hard to truly know what morals you're following..."

"Hmm…" Paulina hummed.

"I caused some of that… and it kills me," Dash spoke up suddenly. The friends were surprise to see a truly pained look on Dash's face. Kwan thought that even tears were trying to gather, which floored the other young man.

"What do you mean, Dash?" Star asked.

"All the crap I said to him. You guys heard him repeating my name!" Dash snapped in slight anger, gaining looks from the adults that were worried, but then somewhat pitying. The adults went back to murmuring.

"I think we're all guilty of that, man," Kwan replied calmly.

Dash clenched a fist, trying to reign in his emotions.

"We make mistakes. I mean I don't know what you guys were up to at school, but from what I've gathered, it wasn't good," David spoke.

Star looked away, unable to look into her brother's eyes.

"No one goes through life without making mistakes, but you can change how you behave from this point on. Do what you can to fix what you've done and that's all you can do," David continued.

Star, Paulina, Kwan and Dash shared a blank look between each other. They weren't sure how they could ever fix things. They had been silly to think they could have the gall to ask to be acquaintances, much less friends, with Fenton and his makeshift family.

zzz

**Amity Park. 9:46 AM.**

As soon as the Fentons, Mansons, Foleys, and Gray's had made it to FentonWorks, Dani had used her invisibility with Phantom on the Manson's limo. Predictably, there were a lot of people, mostly various reporters lying in wait. Phantom and Dani then used a combination of their invisibility and intangibility to get the families out of the car without being seen. Everyone was also distracted by the limo suddenly appearing from thin air near the driveway. The group had hoped their attention would be kept entirely on the limo as it drove off, luckily the Phantoms' powers had taken everyone through.

The ghost found the others in the Lab. Fenton had been oddly quiet ever since they'd gotten in the plane.

"He's being awful quiet," Tucker stated, feeling a bit awkward communicating with only a half of his best friend. It had been different with Fun Danny, since he hadn't fully understood the implications of their split then.

Phantom nodded, not taking his eyes off Fenton as his father used the keys the police had given them to un-cuff the human boy. He kinda slumped to the ground afterwards.

"Fenton?" Phantom asked.

The human wearily looked up and blinked. "…"

Maddie walked closer with a small syringe. "Danny, can I take a little blood? It'll make it easier for us to know what kind of effects those weapons have on you."

"Yeah the Catcher never seems to case that much trouble, except in the personality department. Maybe there's something that happens at the molecular level," Tucker added.

"Well the process might be different, but the results _should_ technically be the same…" Maddie mused as she carefully finished drawing a bit of Fenton's blood. Fenton didn't really even budge.

"I think it's our soul. It gets split and though biology accounts for a good deal of someone's personality when they're alive, their soul controls it in death. Ours is a weird combination of that," Phantom murmured. "He must be depressed too."

Fenton grumbled angrily when Phantom reached for him, which caused Phantom to flinch in fear. Jack made his way forward and picked Fenton up, ready to toss him into the now on Fenton Ghost Catcher.

Fenton flailed suddenly and looked at his father with large eyes. "Please. Don't do it to me again! I don't want to die again, dad!"

Jack tensed up as did Maddie. Phantom looked at the both of them worriedly and with sadness.

"He's lying now. All of our attributes are split," Phantom explained, looking now at everyone else in the cramped Lab.

"Yeah right!" Fenton snapped angrily.

Everyone looked at each other, knowing how infrequently the real Danny ever truly snapped at people. Phantom tensed as Jack swayed back and then bodily tossed Fenton through the Catcher. Phantom dove, connecting with the green veil at the same time.

One body fell out.

Everyone sort of rushed forward, with Dani hovering above since she couldn't see easily from anywhere else. Danny was still before he let out a fearful and great gasp of air, like he'd just been birthed back into the world. Sam carefully placed a hand on his chest and could feel his human heartbeat going in a slow if slightly jumbled rhythm; it would even out.

"Dude?" Tucker asked, finally the first to speak.

Danny cracked open his eyes and smiled weakly. "I'm all here."

Dani couldn't help but start to laugh hysterically in relief. The Fentons gathered up into a large hug soon after that while the other families were content enough to watch.

Sam was focused in thought though. She kept wondering exactly what the Gauntlets and Catcher did to Danny. She hoped perhaps Maddie would figure it out soon enough, but at least they knew the Catcher and it's blueprints were always an option in the future. After the family had parted, Danny got a share a hug with his friends, Dani and Sam. They held him tightly, happy at the very least that he was back. Whether things were completely resolved or not was something they'd worry about later.

The Phantoms were home.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 3:12 PM.**

"See now. All is well," Clockwork soothed.

Frostbite let out a sigh just as Dora did. Clockwork flicked his wrist and the portal, showing the Fenton's Lab, changed to black. Without much warning Vlad Masters stumbled through the black and back into the lair, out of the grayscale purgatory he'd been stuck in.

He, for lack of better words, looked truly like death. There was no light of rebellion in his eyes, a blank stare was all that welcomed others who looked. It was as if he'd given up.

"And now Frostbte, if you would take Mr. Masters to try and cure him of his acne and imbalanced core?" Clockwork asked.

"Has he learned his lesson?" Frostbite asked, still suspicious of the man.

"To some degree yes, the rest is wether or not he will find a way to forgive himself. He must do this before trying to become a better man. If he cannot, then his will to live will disappear piece by piece until there is nothing left," Clockwork answered, noticing that Dan's door has cracked open slightly.

Vlad didn't even appear as though he'd heard Clockwork. Frostbite and Dora exchanged a brief glance before Frostbite reached forward and pulled the full grown man into his arms. After he was done, he looked back at Clockwork.

"If you were any other ghost I would question their judgement, but I will heal him to the best of my abilities," Frostbite spoke.

"Thank you. That is all I ask." The two monarchs and the Halfa left after that. Clockwork stared at the door for a moment before turning back to look at his time windows. "You can come out. Asking questions is a good thing to do."

Dan stepped into the large room before shutting his door behind him. At the moment, he was in his human disguise. His red eyes were locked on the back of the time ghost's head.

"So Vlad's going to vanish like me?"

"No. He will most likely adapt to his changing obsession."

Dan flinched in shocked anger. "What!?"

"Yes?"

"You're implying he still has an obsession. Didn't you practically purge the poor bastard?" Dan asked, a dark eyebrow risen in confusion.

Clockwork smiled at Dan's use of the word 'poor'. "Well to some degree, though you are incorrect to think I did it directly... He's already starting to change though. You completely abandoned your obsession. Vladimir's is simply… changing. I can't say more than that."

Dan was fuming so badly that white flickers of fire from his ghost form started to slip through his disguise's black hair.

"You're transformation will take a bit more of a blind leapt of faith…"

"No it won't, because I'm not going 'transform'," Dan snapped back, making sure to stress the word, transform. "Give up, old man."

Clockwork heard his guest's door slam once more. "Give up?" Clockwork asked no one before reaching up to wind the clock on the top of his staff. "Now what would that accomplish?"

* * *

**So there it is. Things are going to go back to being kinda more normal, though there are still some things not yet resolved regarding the world's reaction to Danny and Dani's human selves. Walking around town, going to school, how will that be after all that's happened? And what of Danny's budding business with Mr. Fundoo? I guess we'll find out, huh?**

**The GiW had their little moment to try and mess everything up and they may try to do some other things in the future too. Peace between the Zone and Earth hasn't really happened yet, the U.S. Government is going to be watching Danny and his family as well as being in contact with him... so yeah, that's kinda where we're heading next.**

**Vlad's been brain-blasted, lol. No but seriously, he's kinda shut down at the moment. He was forced to not only watch his own death again, but find out even more about his own death than he'd ever known before. A lot of years of not having the full picture, how will he interpret his knew knowledge? That is if he can will himself out of his stupor.**

**And oh yeah, Dan's a bit jelly of Vlad at the moment. :P**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**AlienGhostWizard14: I forgot who is Wormhole?**

**NoSignal: Wormhole is the Master of Space, like Clockwork is the Master of Time.**

**Great: I think no one thinks about the fact that comparing the quantity of deaths since ancient times to the quantity of ghosts that come out of the Ghost Zone, the proportion is like 1000000 vs 1.**

**NoSignal: Yep, I wonder if that's why the black suited men were behaving a bit less aggressively... ;) I think this is longer than a month, but I've been trying! :)**

**PokeKing Charizard: Also, how many rounds will there be? And will we see anything with Dan soon? Or will we be mainly focused on Vlad and the trial?**

**NoSignal: This marks the end of the Trial. He popped in at the end. Dan will probably still only pop in when it's relevant, we'll see though. I have it almost all laid out in my mind. Yep the Trial and a bit of Vlad. A tad more Vlad will be coming in the future, not sure if the next chapter or the next though.**

**MissTori: Don't worry about how long the chapters will take I will wait for as long as I have to and shall not complain. Loyalty is a my specialty! ;) enjoy your life my friend! ~MissTori / ****PS: I'm just curious, except Danny who is your favorite ghost?**

**NoSignal: Thanks! I appreciate that more than you know. I'd have to say Clockwork, but not actually for the reason I think most others do. (From my own observations) people seem to like Clockwork because he's cool looking, controls time and can act as a big part in Danny's life or as a badass guardian. For me, I like Clockwork for his purposes in writing. I like him for what he represents, because time is so strange and all the choices we make, the maybes the what ifs, etc. Those are the reasons I like him so much, because of how much fun it is to utilize him as a natural force in stories.**

**demetriusmil2: I like how everything that the prosecutor does not have a strong argument throughout his campaign against Danny. But still keeps the intensity of an actual argument. I can't wait for the next chapter.**

**NoSignal: Oh good. I'm glad that it keeps the intensity, because I actually had trouble coming up for an argument for poor Diego. Like he mused, what could he prove or disprove by then? It's almost like trying to argue that gravity doesn't exist (A bit strong of a comparison, but you get the idea).**

**Fabina-Percabeth-4179: Will/ Can you have Danny become King of the Ghost Zone after the trial is done, and the verdict is decided (assuming that Danny and Dani win, and don't become test subjects.)? I am just wondering cause I have always loved this idea, and very few stories have written about it. I fell like you would do a very good job. Sorry for the long review.. Please please please update soon!**

**NoSignal: I can't be super specific about that in the public response area, but if you're dying to know (lol) PM me. No problem, I love long reviews!**

**Thanks to Lillith Jae and PsychicEevee0103 for your wonderful reviews!**

**Anonymous: ! You mentioned me!? I feel so special. My reviews are sparse, I know, but I'm on limited Computer time, and I really love this story. I loved the tension in the Trial scene, and Diego seemed to be trying a little manipulation..I wonder if he'll try getting his hands dirty. LOVE THIS STORY! **

**NoSignal: Tada and mentioned again, lol. It's no problem. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story. :)**

**mattchew: Umm could Norman please get the crap best out of him for outing Danny like that?.. That's crossing the line way too far.. (Chapter 20)**

**NoSignal: Yeah sometimes Norman goes a bit too overboard in the pursuit of knowledge.**

**NoSignal to Full moon Wulfie: Welcome to Pondus Omnium! Hope you enjoy the story.**

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**Thank you all so much for your support and wonderful wonderful reviews! I thank you all so much :)**

**God bless and Best wishes to all of you!**

**~NoSignal**


	28. Unfamiliar Territory

**AN: **

**Hey there everyone! Sorry again for the long wait. I just got finished with finals a week ago and have been trying to recover from my brutal semester. Just one more semester to go, plus a scary thesis that haunts my sleep. **

**Anyways, the big announcement I'm going to make here is good news somewhat. I'm no longer going to be updating Pondus Omnium and Master Challenge at the same time. I originally started updating them at the same time to show my dedication to both stories, but now I feel like that's not working anymore. More often than not I finish a Pondus Omnium chapter first and then that chapter sits for a week or more for Master Challenge to catch up. I think I end up rushing the Master Challenge chapter because I get both excited and worried about letting the Pondus chapter sit and not be published as soon as it could.**

**In short, My two stories won't be updating at the same time anymore. This way I can give more un-pressured time to the Master Challenge if I feel the need and Pondus Omnium won't be held back from publishing. So if you see one story get updated and not the other from this point on, don't think I've abandoned either story. :)**

**My schedule is still not going to return to normal until Summer most likely. Even though it's Christmas break for me, I want to rest some (I had two writing courses during the semester as well as a still going thesis that is over my head). I hope you understand.**

**On a side note, I'm publishing a series of drabbles and oneshots soon for crossovers and other blurbs/plot bunnies that won't leave me alone. So look for that if you're interested!**

**That's all, sorry for the long AN!**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"It is a strange thing, but when you are dreading something, and would give anything to slow down time, it has a disobliging habit of speeding up." _

_~ J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire._

zzz

**Amity Park. Next-Day. 7:01 AM.**

He could hear the hissing in his ears, like a balloon loosing air or a fire extinguisher spraying it's solution. It drew him out of his dreamless sleep and put a frown on his face.

"What the?" Danny muttered aloud and slowly crawled out of bed. He slipped on a pair of sweatpants over his boxers, before fanning himself with his white singlet to cool off. Making his way over to the window of his room that faced the alleyway he looked out only to see two vandals spray painting something on the side of their house.

Danny clenched his teeth slightly, trying to reel in any bit of anger that wanted to show itself. There would be those people, he reasoned. He couldn't hope that everyone would love him. As it was now though, Danny really wished he had another Reality Gauntlet to use. This had been one of the reasons he'd braved through the trials of having his secret stay secret. Yes, some things would get better and a good deal of people would grow nicer from the new knowledge, but realistically just as many people would grow more vicious or hateful. Having the legal trial over with was only the first stepping stone.

Danny let out a deep breath before sinking into the floor. Suddenly his head popped out of the wall the two vandals were aiming at. His intangible but still visible head stared right at the two boys. "I'd appreciate you not painting graffiti on my home, thanks."

The two youngsters, that most likely were barely old enough to have much of their own opinion and were simply trying to be bold and push their boundaries, gasped in fright. Danny watched liquid stain their pants before they took off running and tripping over each other. "I'm not that scary…" Danny mumbled before appearing in the alleyway outside of the wall to get a glimpse of what they'd painted.

HALF-PERSON GET LOST

Danny sucked in a breath. _Half-person?_ _What does that mean? Is it supposed to be an attempt at a slur? Halfa is technically a slur already._ Danny tried to ignore the silly words and yet somehow being called only half a person rather than half human ended up stinging a bit. He pressed a hand to the wall and turned the vandalized area intangible, watching the paint vaporize into the air and leaving the wall clean.

A moment later, Danny was back in his room, changing for the day. School wouldn't be starting until tomorrow and although his parents had offered to let them stay home a little longer, both he and Dani had felt that wouldn't help anything. If anything he was worried more for when Jazz would return to college. She didn't have powers to ward off anyone that recognized her. He made his way over to his other window and peeked through the blinds to see a couple of news vans out front. They'd been parked there since yesterday and hadn't left with the rest of the crowds. At this rate, he was getting worried that he'd grow too afraid to go outside his home and if it wasn't for the inevitability of ghost attacks, Danny _Fenton_ might have settled for that.

He let out a sigh and phased down into the lower part of the house to see his father furiously working on needlepoint in front of the TV screen. "Hey dad."

Jack looked up and pricked his finger on accident. The elder Fenton stuck the hurt appendage in his mouth and tried to talk with it there. "Hhey Dahnno."

Danny smiled and looked around. "Where's mom and Jazz?"

Jack pulled out his finger and looked back at his son. "Your mom went to get groceries and Jazzy went to talk to David at the Hudson's house, something about our rights and her wanting to have an idea of where we stood now." Jack furrowed his brows. "I gave them a Fenton Creepstick each."

"For the reporters and others?" Danny asked.

"Yeah… or that boy if he gets to comfy with my Princess."

Danny paused on his path to the fridge at that. "Huh?"

"Oh you know, Danny. Boys will be boys and I can't trust that Hudson boy yet."

"Wait you think she likes him?" Danny asked as he commanded the hot dogs to heel and shut the fridge door. He walked towards his dad with a sandwich and a soda, eating it as he walked.

Jack huffed. "I'm getting the feeling…"

"Well at least he's several steps up from Johnny thirteen." Jack and Danny locked eyes before both shuddering. Distracted from the small talk, Danny glanced up at the TV.

"_And back to the current headliner for the past several days, Ghosts and more specifically the Phantoms of Amity. How will the world governments deal with ghosts and are half-ghosts really a key to determining how morally sound a ghost can be. Here's Jason Miles our guest phycologist."_

"_Thanks Debby."_

"_We welcome you, Jason. We have in possession a small clip of the final and climatic events in the courtroom, during the trial against Daniel and Danielle Fenton, and we wanted your take on what occurred."_

Danny watched with a slightly pale face as he was ripped in half in the footage. His free fist clenched tightly as he listened to what he'd said to Dani and Sam and he growled to himself when he saw Fenton strike Sam across the face.

"_So then, what do you take from that, Mr. Miles? Was the boy's personality split? Is there any precedent with this type of personality study, minus the ghostly aspects?"_

"_Well, Debbie. Truth is there isn't much. The closest thing we have is Dissociative Identity Disorder or as most people call it, Multiple Personality Disorder. Mr. Fenton's behavior in the courtroom is similar to DID in many ways, however it supposedly isn't triggered until one of those specific weapons are used."_

"_So it's not just some type of DID?"_

"_No, if it was it wouldn't be dependent on a weapon to give control to another personality."_

"_So what does this mean?"_

"_It means that we may have to rethink many important theories concerning mental illness and personality and how they form."_

Danny huffed. _Well at least something good could come out of this stuff… maybe… maybe things could get- No. Don't say anything Danny or you'll jinx it._ Danny shook his head before speaking, "Hey dad?"

"Yeah, Danno?" Jack asked as he weaved more thread into the circular piece. Danny looked down and noticed this piece was a large picture of the whole family, Dani included with both half-ghosts' Phantom forms floating above. Danny couldn't stop the warm smile that crept onto his face.

"I was just going to tell you I was going into the Ghost Zone. I need to visit Pandora. She was worried about Danielle and I and I also needed to try and practice my lightning control if she had the time."

Jack nodded. "You want me or Ellie to come?"

"Nah, I'll be fine, let Dani rest some more." Danny glanced up towards Danielle's room, hoping she was having a decent sleep.

"Take a Fenton phone, okay? I want to know if my boy needs a little help!"

Danny chuckled. "Alright, alright."

With that, Danny finished his small meal and headed down into the lab. He felt the air leave his lungs and wet ectoplasm splatter across his upper chest and face before he struck the ground, hard.

"Cujo, stop that!"

Cujo merely whined. Danny blinked, noticing that Cujo, even in his puppy form had actually… grown? It was small and barely noticeable, but Danny could see it. Another lick to under his chin and Danny chuckled against his will.

"Quit it you ham!" Danny finally spoke and shoved the dog from his chest and leaned up. The ghost dog, having changed size from about a small terrier to young schnauzer, moved back and sat panting. Danny smirked. "Wanna come with me, pal?"

He got an excited bark in return. It seemed the ghost dog had truly missed his family. Danny and Cujo moved towards the portal as white light changed Fenton into Phantom. A DNA scan and an authorization code later and the duo were sailing into the green expanse of the Infinite Realms.

zzz

**Manson residence. 7:25 AM.**

Sam lay in her large bed staring at the words in the large dark book she was trying and failing to get interested in. Tucker had called her a few minutes ago to talk about changes, more specifically his work on changing everyone's phone numbers, emails, social media pages, etc. He'd already done so for their emails and media pages. He'd even set up a Phantom page on HeadNovel as to better divert messages and emails from fans and critics alike. Now he was working on cellphone numbers for most of the families involved and during that time there wasn't an easy way to communicate. Tucker had informed her that Danny had called Tucker's new number and told him he was visiting Pandora and that Tucker would alert Sam and the others if Danny called needing any help. Sam was happy to know Danny was visiting Pandora since he probably needed the release of being in the Zone and separating himself from the Human world for a little bit; she was also happy that Cujo had gone with him.

With a sigh, Sam let her book fall with her arm against the soft bed, annoyed that she couldn't focus. "Perfect." Sam snarked. She snapped the book closed and leaned up to better look out her window. She couldn't help but wonder how different things would be from now on. Would things get better or worse? Would things hit a plateau of awkward coexistence and then never improve? She hoped not.

She marched over to her computer and sat, curious about the Phantom page Tucker had made. Her fingers gliding across the keyboard, Sam managed to login and look over the page as one of the moderators. Slowly her brow started to furrow.

_He's just so hot._

_Ew really? You'd sleep with a dead guy?_

_Do you think he's like a vampire in those romance movies?_

_No he's a corpse._

_A corpse doesn't have a heartbeat, dummy!_

_Such an intelligent response._

_Marry me!_

_I love you, Danny!_

_Eh he's a freak._

Sam grumbled and cracked her knuckles. "Whelp, time to breaks some hearts and dish out punishment." She began here work, only to notice a specific phone number taped to the side of her computer. It was Mr. Fundoo. She really needed to talk to Danny and call the man soon.

**461 Elm St. Emerston****. Gray Residence. 8:44 AM.**

"They really are looking at every angle of this…" Damon murmured.

Valerie paused from slowly sipping on a drink and moved over to where her dad was watching the news. She frowned at how the stations were displaying her friend's life to the masses, but it wasn't exactly unexpected.

"Yeah. I guess they're just afraid."

Damon nodded as Valerie turned to walk towards her room to start make-up work for school tomorrow.

"Do you think I'm at fault for what happened to Danny at D.C.? What if we hadn't been able to put Fenton and Phantom back together?-"

"Dad it definitely wasn't. You didn't know about ghosts not all being evil and you had no way of knowing that Danny was half-ghost or anything similar. Vlad's been playing us from the start, you and me both. Danny and I aren't even positive that he wasn't somehow the cause of Cujo's original rampage."

Damon smiled at his daughter before they shared a brief hug. Valerie turned and walked into her room. A moment later, the phone rang. Damon's brow went up. Not many people should have their number yet. He picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hey there Mister Gray, it's Tucker."_

"Oh hello there, Tucker. Can I help you?"

"Yes sir. I got a call from some guys at Axion who wanted to talk to you. I'm going to patch you through."

"Oh alright then."

There was a pause and Damon tried to briefly figure out any reason they would call.

"Hello? Mister Gray?"

"Yes, this is he. May I ask who's speaking?"

"This is Mrs. Diana from Axion-"

"Oh, right! Hello there Diana. What can I do for you?"

"Well we need you to come in for a meeting tomorrow regarding all the new developments in the news recently. You see a good deal of the upper management are being questioned about how much they knew about Mr. Masters and his illegal business dealings. I mean I don't think they knew anything about him being a gho- Ah-any ways, You're being looked at for a possible head for the company. It's being separated from VladCo. and we need new leadership."

Damon's eyes widened.

"You were brought up as being fairly eligible for the position of CEO. You've managed your division well and even helped defend it from a ghost attack earlier this year. You also have a good working relationship with the Fentons."

"You- I mean-" Damon coughed to clear his voice and make it stop trembling. "Of course. I'll be there. What time?"

On the other side of a bedroom door, Valerie sunk to the floor in shock. She grasped the carpeted floor of her room in her hands tightly as tears started to bubble up in her eyes uncontrollably.

She didn't know if this was good karma or fate; Valerie didn't know for sure how much she believed those types of things, but she was, for what ever reason, really happy to have buried the hatchet with Danny and made friends with the others. Something told her that if she hadn't had the chance to do those things first, this gift would've ruined her. She would've become a self-absorbed, selfish and irresponsible human being.

Maybe, just maybe she would hug that dumb green dog next time she saw him.

**FentonWorks. 9:22 AM.**

"Ash!" Dani yelped and stealthily leapt from her bedroom window before floating down to the tiny and fenced backyard of FentonWorks. She flushed a bit. "And Jace."

Jace deadpanned before a sneaky smile crept onto his face; he didn't say a word though as Ash and Dani embraced.

"I'm glad everything turned out, Dani. You're okay, right?" Ash questioned.

Dani nodded slowly. "It was scary and demeaning but they didn't necessarily treat us… terribly."

"You didn't get probed?" Ash asked as a shit-eating grin suddenly took over his face.

Dani immediately grew annoyed and flicked Ash's forehead. The boy laughed, his hazel eyes alight as he shook his head of white hair, trying to get rid of the sting.

"You are hopeless, Ashton." Jace smirked before he was surprised by a hug from Dani.

"Thanks for worrying, Jace. I didn't forget you."

Jace smiled softly and his eyelids drooped over his gold eyes, as he let his sarcasm fade for the time being. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"

The two parted as Jace predictably combed back his brown hair.

"Still a perfectionist," Ash stated as a slight tease.

Both boys paused when they saw the troubled look on Dani's face

"Dani, what's wrong?" Ash asked as Jace looked over her form in a studying manner.

"Everyone in the world knows I'm a clone now…" She paused. "And… and you guys too. You aren't… you aren't upset, right?"

Jace and Ash glanced at each other before Ash shrugged and Jace smiled.

"Honestly we didn't have much time to think about it. We were kinda too busy trying to help our best friend," Ash answered.

Dani slowly started to smile. "You guys mean it?"

"Would you rather us run away screaming?" Jace asked.

"Yeah I mean it's not your fault on how you were born and if anyone else has a problem with it then they have a problem with more than just you," Ash expressed.

"He means your family, Danny's friends and us and any fans you may have," Jace explained.

Dani gave the two another brief hug as a group. "Thanks."

"So you wanna work on homework together or hang out?" Ash asked.

"Sure! Danny's away in the Ghost Zone at the moment so dad's the only one home right now."

"The Ghost Zone… will we ever get to see it?" Ash pressed.

"Maybe if everything calms down some. It can be dangerous and we're all a little distracted right now."

"No rush," Jace chuckled nervously.

Dani nodded and grabbed the two before phasing them all into the house. "Hey dad, Ash and Jace are visiting for a bit."

"Okay pumpkin." Jack waved to the three as they ran up the stairs and returned to working on his needlepoint, but not after giving Ash a look over without his knowledge. "I need to make a Creepstick for Ellie too…"

**Greek Acropolis. Ghost Zone. 8:03 AM.**

It both worried and soothed him that he felt so at peace in the Ghost Zone. It was an inhuman pull, an unnatural wish to be immersed in the vast green and inhale the ether. The feeling would ebb away eventually though and be replaced by something more human like hunger or drowsiness.

Danny took in a breath of ether and did a single loop during flight. "Is it just me or does Pandora's palace always seem to be the farthest away?"

Cujo just sailed alongside him, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Thought that'd be your answer." Danny chuckled to himself as he finally started to see the gleaming of white marble in the distance. Wrapped tightly around a large mountain of dark greenish-gray rock and surrounded by a massive field of grassy mazes, Pandora's greek acropolis stretched out before his eyes. "Wow. I swear this place gets bigger every time I come back." Danny flew down, past the mazes to where two armored soldier were stationed at the entrance to the city. "Hey there, fellas!"

One looked down and nearly tripped over his own feet when he saw who'd spoken to him. "Alkaios! Look, it's Phantom!"

"Φάντασμα? Πότε? Που?" (Phantom? When? Where?) Alkaios muttered drowsily as he obviously shook himself from trance rest.

"At ease. English please for our guest. Lady Pandora hasn't taught him greek yet," the first soldier, Kleitos, responded to his comrade's surprise.

"I came to visit Pandora."

-Bark!

"Of course. Come in!"

Danny nodded as they let him by. He flew through the city, getting waves and greetings from citizens that noticed him. Before long, Danny and Cujo found themselves in the large palace entrance hall, only to find it eerily quiet. He listened carefully and picked up the sound of voices coming from the war room. Danny lifted from the floor to not make as much sound when he approached.

"Populo tuo retulisti multae creaturae tenebris est?" (So your people have reported sightings of the dark creatures as well?)

"Ita vero. Sha'yala vidit multam coluber. Et tales solent in regno nostro, nisi ater putrefacta carne." (It is true. Sha'yala saw a large snake. We are used to such creatures in our realm, but not ones black as rotted flesh.)

Danny steeled his features, wondering if Pandora and the mystery guest was talking about Malus or something. He floated through the door and spoke, "Pandora? Quid agis?" (Pandora? What's going on?)

Pandora in her powerful and intimidating glory, turned to his voice and smiled brightly when she saw who had spoken. "Oh hello there Daniel! I'm so glad to see you in good health. I heard from Frostbite what had happened…"

Danny smiled at her only to then notice the other ghost in the room. He wasn't quite as tall as Pandora, but did indeed tower over even the tallest of humans. He was cloaked in swaths of colored clothing layered up to his waist and covering one side of his chest, shoulder and left arm. A shinning gold decoration wrapped around his upper right arm and he wore a blue and gold uraeus on his head, nested in long dark hair. Pharaoh was the word that came to Danny's mind, but he was more focused on the beak that rested above the man's lips and below his sharp narrow golden eyes as well as the soft downy feathers that covered the exposed part of his chest. This ghost was some kind of bird-man hybrid.

"Uhh…" Danny blanked.

"Hello young Phantom. I have heard many things about you from Pandora and Frostbite."

Danny blinked. "Oh. Good I hope?"

The ghost started to laugh. "Yes, good things. Forgive me for my rudeness. I am Tykr'aal, but most humans know me as Ra."

Flashes of history lessons from middle school filled Danny's head. "Wait, do you mean like Ra the god, Ra from Ancient Egypt, Ra?"

Tykr'aal chuckled. "Yes, though I am no god. I am much like Pandora here or Frostbite. I was a guardian to the people of Egypt for a long time. Now me and my people rest in our realm."

"Tykr'aal is a master of Pyrokinesis like Hakan. He is a trusted ally of mine," Pandora offered.

"That's really neat."

"You are welcome to visit whenever you like, young Phantom. I'd also like to see what Hakan has managed to impart upon you. I know he can be a bit of a hardhead about things."

"If I didn't know any better, Tykr'aal, I would think you were trying to take over Daniel's tutoring for his hot core."

"Hmph. I wouldn't say that. I just know some things about fire that Hakan would be less likely to teach him."

Danny chuckled softly as he watched the two ghosts interact.

"I'd love to visit it. What's your realm like?"

Tykr'aal turned and nodded to Danny. "It is mostly like the 'Ancient Eygpt' that you think of. A multitude of people walk about, some mere specters, others were able to come into their own as a powerful ghost with control over the sun or fire, as most would see it. My brothers and sisters make up the rest of the Pantheon and have other powers not related to fire necessarily."

"Wow that's really amazing." Danny paused when he realized something. "Wait, what were you guys talking about before I came in?"

Pandora sighed. "We are concerned about some strange happenings."

"My wife, Sha'yala saw a dark blackened snake with soulless eyes near the border of our realm, but my daughter Sek'haal and her warriors chased them off. They are known as Raet and Sekhmet by humans if that is important."

Danny furrowed his brows and looked at Pandora. "Do you think it is Malus?" He noticed Tykr'aal stiffen at the name and look at Pandora.

"Malus? He has returned?"

"I was about to mention it. Yes. He has indeed returned."

"So that is why you sent the key to us. Very well, we will guard it and make sure he has no idea it is ours. That would be an extra worry we couldn't handle."

"We think… though the Observants are hesitant to say much… that he has possibly taken over Pariah. That is why he is sending out the dark beasts to search for a way out of the Sarcophagus."

Danny saw Tykr'aal's eyes harden. "Well he'll be staying there."

"Dark beasts?" Danny asked.

Pandora turned to him. "Creatures similar to the one that… that you encountered. The dark Ectopuses? Only these are purely a part of Malus' being and not corrupted souls."

Tykr'aal looked at him. "Wait. He survived an encounter with one? We are forced to fight from a distance. One touch and a human withers and a ghost turns darkened like tar."

Pandora smiled. "He is special. The Half-ghosts are special indeed."

Tykr'aal hummed. "I see now." Danny watched him rub softly on the red fabric near his shoulder before nodding. "I guess I will take my leave. I will try to prepare my people for the danger ahead."

"Many kingdoms have been informed. Clockwork instructed us to be careful with how quickly we spread this information. Mass panic here or in the human realm wouldn't help."

"Most definitely. Thank you old friend." Tykr'aal turned and nodded to Danny again. "A pleasure to meet you and I hope you do come visit us some time. Our kingdom lies northwest beyond Pariah's Keep. The River of Repulsion can be found past there, follow it and you should be able to find us. To soothe Seti, the monster in the river, say 'Insidiaberis calcaneo dicit Ra'. Good day to you, Danny Phantom."

Tykr'aal turned to an open window and Danny watched in surprise as his more human-like head turned into a falcon's. More feathers spread over his green looking skin and great wings sprouted from his back, before all the feathers caught alight with brilliant yellow fire. Tykr'aal soared into the air and through the window, out into the green expanse with a loud cry.

Danny blinked in awe before Pandora's laughter snapped him out of it. "He is modest at least. Though he is no god, he is no slouch. He is thankful to you and your friends by the way, for taking care of Hotep-Ra. He was a rebellious servant that tried to take over Tykr'aal's whole realm. He started his own realm with the scepter and your friend and hoped to build an army large enough to take over and annex Tykr'aal's already existing realm. After your intervention Hotep-Ra's manufactured realm deteriorated from the Zone. Tykr'aal took the scepter from the museum and locked it away. It's not as strong as his own scepter, but avoiding any future rebellions is nice."

Danny understood and what the museum didn't know wouldn't hurt them too badly. It was for the best after all. "Wow. Well I'm glad that's over too then."

Pandora nodded. "So, what do I own this pleasant visit?"

"I was a bit stressed out and thought that now that I was done with the trial, I could come for some lightning tutelage. Unless you're too busy-"

"Never too busy for that! I would be delighted. Come, let's head to the Arena." Pandora turned and gracefully moved off, Danny and Cujo walking behind her.

**Clockwork's Lair. 8:02 AM.**

It seemed like he was doing this more and more, watching everyone else as time passed and not finding peace for himself. What though would give him peace? All he knew was how to destroy. Dan watched from the rafters as a vision swirled in Clockwork's time pieces. Danny was sitting in his room, making ice sculptures several weeks in the past, before his secret had been revealed. What could Dan make other than starting a fire place? He snorted at his own self-depreciating joke.

Clockwork looked over his shoulder when he heard the soft snort. "Still just sitting around and brooding are we?"

Dan growled as an answer, before suddenly he found himself falling.

-SMACK

Dan groaned in discomfort from his sudden fall. He grit his teeth as he started shout a curse in latin. "Quod-" (What the-)

"Your intangibility failed it seems. Your condition isn't improving."

Dan growled again, but was cut off when he actually saw and noticed his form flicker out of view with invisibility. He looked up to see the saddest look on Clockwork yet. Pity oozed from his stance and his eyes, normally so intimidating in their bright red, looked so forlorn.

"Stop that."

"Stop what, Dan?"

"Looking at me like I'm something to pity like a pathetic lost little child!"

_But you are._ Clockwork internalized. "I cannot control what I feel, Dan. It's silly for you to ask that of me. You need to feed yourself. You need to find motivation to _do_ something, else you will disappear soon."

Dan narrowed his red eyes as he lifted himself from the ground and beat his cape to rid it of dust. "How soon?"

"Two days. You have to find something to give you purpose before then. Even if its odd jobs or strange requests. The best choice would be for you to actually try to reach out and find a solid and true obsession. Odd little spurts of motivation won't sustain you forever, only prolong your destruction."

Dan felt his gloves tighten as his fists clenched.

"I assume you have a lot to think about?"

Dan didn't answer for a moment. "What would it matter? What would it truly matter if I just disappeared?"

Clockwork hummed. "Nothing. It wouldn't change much of anything. At least if you mean in the biggest picture. There is something you must think about though. The presence of something can be impactful, but so can the absence of something." Clockwork floated marginally closer. "What do you want to be remembered for? What do you want your existence to mean? Those questions you asked me, only you can answer them."

Dan eyes were hard and unwavering. Clockwork sighed, knowing the Observants would be furious with him for what he did next.

"Go to Walker's Prison. Look up some of the criminals on the most wanted list. They are the only ones that actually deserve his form of justice."

Dan rose a brow at the suggestion. "Are you telling me to go catch criminals?"

"It's merely a suggestion. Honestly I'm not sure your stable enough anymore to fight properly…"

Dan flashed his teeth in frustration.

Clockwork turned to look back at his time windows. "Just do this one thing for me. Please."

Dan paused, confused by the tone of Clockwork's voice.

"Avoid anything that seems unnatural. Black colored creatures with soulless eyes-"

"Does that have something to do with that Malus guy you've been blabbering on about?"

"Yes. I waited until a certain event before I considered releasing you. You cannot fight him as you are. That is the only thing I ask of you."

Dan shifted behind Clockwork and the Time Master herd the rustling of fabric. When Clockwork looked over his shoulder, the ghost was gone.

Clockwork only smiled to himself.

**Walker's Prison. Ghost Zone. 8:18 AM.**

"Make sure the generators are functioning properly!"

"Yes sir!"

"And make sure someone gets on rebuilding the gallows!"

"Roger!"

Walker grumbled as he marched across the purplish grass in the courtyard. It had been a while since Phantom's escape and Walker was still mighty peeved about the whole thing. He didn't care if the recent rumors floating around the Ghost Zone were true, he wanted to make Phantom pay.

"Walker!"

Walker whipped his head up at the absolute fear in several of his guards' voices, only to be completely gobsmacked by what he saw in the air, floating down.

"Hello Walker. Never thought I'd see your face again-" Dan cut himself off and looked around, noticing some of the damage that had yet to be repaired. "Another jail break? You must really suck at your job."

Walker clenched his teeth as he tried to figure out what was going on. Was that really, Phantom? No… It just, it couldn't be. "Who are you!?"

Dan paused from her surveying and gave the warden a maddened smile. "Why, I'm Danny Phantom… or well I was at some point. Details on how that works aside, I came here from Clockwork's to ask something."

Walker heard the name Clockwork and stiffened. He'd heard the Observants mention him before, so there really was a Time Keeper, it wasn't a myth and so that meant… "You're not from our time are you? You're not our Phantom."

"Well darn, it seems you've seen right through my smokescreen," Dan mocked before flashing from view and suddenly being in front of Walker. His smile stretched that much farther. He couldn't believe how much energy he was feeling, all because he'd decided to come here and had a goal in mind? It was almost intoxicating. He grasped Walker's front and lifted him right off the ground above his flaming head. "So now that the tough talking and flexing of egos is out of the way, are you ready to listen to me?"

Walker grunted in frustration.

"Now now, that was always a problem of yours. Your pride is just overwhelming."

Walker narrowed his eyes.

"You needing a bounty hunter?"

At that, Walker felt one brow rise against his will. "Pardon?"

"Let's get hypothetical here. Say there's a ghost with nothing better to do and he happens to have a lot and I mean A LOT of misplaced aggression that needs to be let out. Give me your worst, your monsters, your slime balls. I want a challenge after all."

Walker furrowed his brows. "What's in it for you?"

"Pleasure from seeing another being fear for their existence? Come on now. Heck, making money for beating the absolute hell out of someone? Why didn't I think of that?"

Walker looked into Dan's red eyes and he could see the gleam there. He grunted. "Fine. I'll get you someone from the most wanted files." Dan nodded in satisfaction and put the ghost down. Before he could blink, Walker and several of his goons had whipped out their batons and restrained him. Dan howled in absolute rage.

"I don't do deals with scum like you."

Dan felt his fire grow and his rage increase. "Oh but torture isn't below you, hm?" Dan hissed, thinking to when Walker had Danny and his class captured in the Prison not long ago.

Walker faltered at Dan's knowledge but only outwardly growled. "You don't-"

"I saw everything. I know you broke the rules, Walker. If you don't let me go now, then you will regret it. I could bring this Prison to the ground. I'm not afraid to use my Wail like Danny-boy is."

Walker froze, not sure what to do.

"Time's UP!" Dan roared and disappeared from the binds in a plume of humanoid-shaped, red-eyed smoke. He reformed right in front of Walker and smashed his green glowing fist into Walker's gut. Dan could feel the ectoplasm in the specter's stomach, crack, hiss, and whiplash against the force Dan's own ectoplasm was supplying; he could almost hear the ghost's core screaming in surprise at the sudden danger.

Walker crashed into the wall before slumping down onto his knees. He didn't even get the chance to get up before a clawed hand grasped his entire face and lifted him into the air again. Walker caught sight of his men trussed up against poles or plastered to the walls or ground with green glowing binds and goo. "Those people who say there's power in numbers never met me." Walker looked down the best he could into the eyes of his attacker and saw red angry cracks snaking down from his flaming inferno of hair. The whites of his eyes had turned black and his irises could almost not be seen. "This is the last call. Are you going to get me a poor smuck to maim and drag back here or am I going to have to take all my frustration out on you, little man?"

Walker growled a bit, but then spoke, "Bottom left drawer in my office. Take your pick."

Dan grinned and Walker saw a duplicate peel off of the ghost effortlessly. Dan finally spoke again when the duplicate returned to his form, leaving the paper in Dan's unoccupied right hand. "Brynjar the Berserker, huh? Sounds like a meat-head to me. See ya."

He was gone before Walker hit the ground. The warden was pale, even if it wasn't visible on his skull-like face. He slowly picked himself up and dusted himself off. What would he do about this new Phantom? Should he let him bring in wanted criminals and actually pay him? Walker slowed his speeding thoughts. Brynjar the Berserker? He really _had _reached for his dusty pile of wanted posters that he'd almost given up on. Those ghosts in that pile were barely reasonable and some of them were more monster than man.

"Walker, are you alright sir?" Bullet asked, being the first and possibly the only one of Walker's goons able to free himself.

"Just fine." Walker growled slightly.

"What should we do about this, darker Phantom?"

"Nothing for now. I'm fairly certain Brynjar will take care of him."

"Brynjar?" Bullet asked, befuddled. "That Phantom will be sludge by the time that beast is done with him."

"That's what I'm counting on."

**The Arena. Ghost Zone. 8:21 AM.**

"It's different than ice or fire. Ice feels like you're trying to control your breath or the air. Fire feels like rushing water. Controlling lightning is more like the beating of drums. It is a commanding stance you must use and feel."

Danny watched in surprise as Pandora whipped out her large spear, locking herself in a stiff position before blue crackling lightning erupted from the point and launched into the sky.

"Wow. Okay, should I try?" Danny asked. Pandora nodded and stepped aside.

Danny focused, drawing his hot core to the front, before snapping a hand out in front of him. A crackling of energy appeared and jolted out only to fizzle out with a couple sharp pops. "Wha?"

Danny felt his ears and face grow hot when Pandora's barely stifled laughter registered in his ears. "Pandora!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Great One, but… PFFFT AHAHAHA!" Pandora suddenly erupted into a echoing bellow of a laugh. "It's not you Daniel, it's just how the electricity looked and sounded and then the 'pop'."

Danny gave a sly smile. "I guess it was a little underwhelming…" Danny looked down at his hands. "I thought I had the knack of it-"

Pandora halted the disheartened Phantom. "Stop right there, young one. Firstly, Walker helped charge your electricity in that encounter and secondly, where have you been the last several weeks?"

"I-"

"Not in a place that facilitated your powers, right?"

Danny paused and felt himself relax.

"That's what I thought." Pandora shifted her weight. "You simply need some help. This is not something to be ashamed of."

Danny nodded. "Right… Right." He glanced over and saw Cujo in monster dog form playfully chasing a poor servant that was a satyr.

"Okay, let's try again. You must be more assertive. Demand the lightning come out of you. Do not give the lightning a choice!" Pandora boomed, bringing Danny back to the matter at hand.

Danny narrowed his eyes and tensed his body in preparation. "Okay, here we go."

**FentonWorks. 11:00 AM.**

Danny and Dani flinched and looked at the front door, drawing their family's attention before a knock came against the wood.

The Fentons were just about to settle down to dinner, the first dinner they'd had together for several weeks. Jazz would be returning to her campus tomorrow and Danny and Danielle would be going back to school.

"I'll get it." Maddie expressed and moved towards the door slowly. She opened the door to come face to face with a couple of black suited men.

"Mrs. Fenton?" The first one asked showing an FBI badge. "We need to come in and have a talk with your family, specifically your two unique children."

Danny and Dani gave each other a sideways glance, but didn't get worried quite yet.

"Well, yes. Come in I suppose." Maddie sighed and let the two men come in.

Jack coughed. "Uh, can I get you gentlemen something?"

"No thanks." They nodded to Danny and Danielle, the younger girl showing her nervousness just a tad bit more than her brother. "Daniel and Danielle Fenton, I'm assuming you've come to the conclusion that things are going to be different, correct?"

Danny let out a breath. "It would be foolish to think different, but what kind of different do you mean?"

One of the men held out a folder. "Alongside being a human as the courts concluded, you and your sister are also weapons. I mean no disrespect in that statement, however, we need to discuss some particulars with you and your family. They're matters of national security as well as your international status. Other nations are getting, antsy to say the least."

Danny paused and took the folder from the man. "What's this?"

"A comprehensive invitation to the White House. In about a week's time, we'll need to you come and have talks with some very important people. If you can, we also need to talk with some of your ghostly allies, preferably the ones that appeared in court."

Danny swallowed. "I understand. I can get a couple of the same ones, but Wulf and Technus probably won't come back for now. I can get another replacement or two possibly. They're in command of some large regions in the Zone."

"That should be fine." The men turned and walked towards the door. One stopped and nodded to the family. "Have a good day." Then they were gone.

"Well…" Danny started as his eyes trailed over the presidential seal. "This will either turn out great or terribly… Hopefully this is good news."

Danny felt his dad's hand rest on his shoulder. "We'll be there right beside you this time, Danno, Pumpkin." He finished looking at his little girl.

"I think I'll call David…" Jazz murmured mostly to herself, looking to be in great thought as she walked off to the phone.

Danny grunted. "I guess I need to go and talk to Tykr'aal sooner than I thought."

**Far Frozen. Ghost Zone. 11:12 AM.**

"Are you sure, Frostbite, sir?" The smaller yeti asked. He held a small disk in his hand, it's center was made of a reddish stone material.

"Yes, I've been studying the substance that his boils secrete and while I don't know everything about them, the destabilization is caused by something similar to the prion proteins found in some instances of mortal disease."

"So ghosts aren't effected by it?"

"Not full ghosts, Ice claw." Frostbite took the disc and placed it on the unconscious Vlad Masters' chest. The red stone lit up and both yetis backed away from the heat.

"He was already so hot though, sir."

"Yes, but this is our only possible form of treatment. Hopefully the heat will destroy the prions."

"Where did they come from and why doesn't the Great One suffer from such an aliment?"

"I can only hypothesis that it has something to do with how the two Halfas gained their powers. I'm unsure, but my running theory is that the change of using Diet Cola along with the actual energy from the portal caused both, his ghost powers to mutate correctly but also for some other leftover proteins to turn into prions. These strange prions can function in the high energy environment of a Halfa's body and go dormant for periods of time."

Ice claw hummed. "Mortal afflictions are strange…"

"Indeed my friend they are. All we can do now is hope that he will outlast the prions," Frostbite expressed with a sigh. The two walked off, leaving Vlad in the room on his own.

The man groaned slightly in his sleep, flexing his arms in an attempt to move them up and take away the heat on his chest, but those arms and his legs were strapped down.

_**GIvE uP VLaDiMIr. It'S tIme tO Let Go.**_

A red wisp escaped from Vlad's clenched teeth as he wrenched his head away from the voice instinctually.

ooo

He was in darkness, surrounded by nothingness. Infrequently he would hear a whispered scream or a cry of some strange animal.

_**WhAT's ThE pOinT? ThEy wOn't Lov- YOu. WhaT do yoU haVe tO lOSe?**_

Vlad gasped and looked around futilely for the owner of the voice. Finally he shrieked out in surprise when his vision was filled with blood red eyes, a flash of scales, and light reflecting off of something black and sharp above those eyes.

"What in the name of-?!" Vlad exclaimed and cried out when the being charged him and something like a sheet of darkness rushed through his body, leaving him unbelievably cold.

_**GiVE uP. gIvE iN.**_

Vlad clenched his teeth and looked up again only to again gasp in horror. Staring at him was his ghost form. It was staring at him forlornly before it reached out and grabbed his wrist slowly. A human hand didn't tighten around his arm though, a clawed hand, rough and completely unlike human skin was there instead.

Vlad let out a pure scream of terror.

ooo

In the medical room holding Vlad, the only sounds coming from within were undignified whimpers and the rustling of fabric coming from the once billionaire.

In the corner of the room, a strange shadow lingered there, shaped strangely human and stretched almost to the ceiling. It flickered and shifted, but never moved enough to look like anything more than a shadow. If one looked closely enough, one could see something like bat-like wings stretched out behind its back. Every now and then red eyes would lock onto Masters' form before blinking out.

**Deep in the Zone. Ghost Zone. 11:55 AM.**

"This is getting annoying. How will I find this fool?" Dan grumbled, soaring and dipping gracefully through the Zone. He glanced back down at the wanted poster. "Brynjar the Berserker. A nomad that scours the Zone looking for powerful enemies to battle, searching for a good End. Very powerful and dangerous. He is cursed by his forgettable death. He is said to have slain the great Frost Serpent near the Dead Sea Region. Beware his berserker mode as his strength, skill, and durability become legendary in the heat of battle." Dan snorted. "What is this, some kind of folk-tale bullshit?"

Dan looked up to fly over a isle with a tree on it. He phased the poster back into his body as a frown adorned his face. He focused harder, trying to stretch his ghost sense out to find his prey. Surely his sense was more acute and had a wider range than some icy warrior, so he was confident that he would get the benefit of stealth. Before long, Dan started pick up some different pings. None of them seemed to be interesting except for one that felt of ice, the iron like smell of blood, and rum.

A grin stretched across Dan's face. "Bingo." With little effort, Dan's speed increased and he took off in the direction of the feeling. He glanced over when he saw the strange sight of a line of reddish brown on the majorly green horizon. "Huh, am I really that close to the red haze?" He huffed. "I hope Walker gives me extra for travel expenses." He joked.

* * *

**So there. Things are slowly starting to get pieced back together after the Trial. Dan finally gets to adventure outside Clockwork's Lair and Vlad is haunted by a strange creature...**

**What'd you guys think of Tykr'aal? He's been going under several visual redesigns for the last few months. I personally like how he turned out. At first he and his people were going to be random and generic 'star' people who looked like living comets and were different colors of fire, but then I started wanting to give them a better backstory and the idea of doing some kind of more detail Eygpt Region struck me. Believe me I've had a few really cool ideas for other Regions in the Ghost Zone. You might have noticed a mention of one in this chapter. Then there's also the Hazes of different colors. More on them later though they will be more interesting in Crossover stories I'm planning for in the future.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**ScarrGriffin99: I am curious though, is Danny safe from the GIW? And will Vlad ever truly find peace and try to make everything up to the Fentons? So many questions, so many possibilities. This is so exciting to see unfold. You are by-far my favorite fanfiction writer.**

**NoSignal: We'll have to see won't we? :) Vlad does have some talking to do huh? But we need to see if he can survive first. And thank you! That means a lot to me :)**

**Great: I wonder if Danny will need to give an interview to the reporters to get them of his back? I have been considering Dan's purpose in this, and I think that you'll make him King. Anyway, love everything and Looking forward to more!**

**PS Hey, have you read Wonderwall by The Last Letter. I think its interesting to read!**

**NoSignal: Probably something like that. Perhaps, but you might be surprised what Dan's eventual destiny is. I don't think anyone else has done what I plan to do with him. Thanks! And no I haven't I might have to check it out though if I get the chance. :)**

**Nozomi Higurashi: Danny's gonna become an angel, ain't he? *grins***

**NoSignal: We'll see, but Angel!Danny isn't in this story :)**

**AlienGhostWizard14: Just wondering, will there be any last effects on Danny's split Like will he become any different in personality**

**NoSignal: Not for him personally, but people witnessing how he behaved split will be something of a thing...**

**Adas5431: So are you going to go over the green haze thing. Cuz i think its interesting.**

**NoSignal: Actually yes I am. It's more of a headcannon introduction though as it will be more prominent in future Crossovers I'm planning for future stories. We'll touch on it and explain it, but it will be more relevant in other DP stories of mine.**

**FowlFanKid13: Oh my gosh! I loved this story so far. Please, for my sanity's sake keep posting! I would love to hear how everything plays out. I am at Chapter 27, the last chapter as of right now (I know, I am dedicated ;)). Just please make sure you at least post a Chapter 28! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**NoSignal: Ha ha. I'm glad you like it so much! Here's your desired chapter 28!**

* * *

**Thank you all so much for your support and wonderful wonderful reviews! I thank you all so much :) If I accidentally missed a question by either not PMing you or answering here, let me know so I can PM you or mention you (guests) in the next chapter :)**

**God bless and Best wishes to all of you! Happy Holidays too!**

**~NoSignal**


	29. School Drama

**Hey everyone! This chapter is replacing the Hiatus Notice Chapter I had put up. I have a longer End of Hiatus Message, but you can read that on the second chapter I posted. If you have trouble reviewing, then try on the chapter after this.**

**I figured that you guys were all so patient and awesome that I wanted to come back with two chapters for you.**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzz

_"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."_

_~ Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays._

zzz

**FentonWorks. 6:55 AM.**

Danny grumbled as he stared at his computer screen. "How am I supposed to know if that was a one time thing or not?" He groaned as his mouse lingered over one choice and then the other. "Technus…"

Danny had been sitting at his computer for about ten minutes or so and after updating his Ghost Files on various things, including what he knew about Tykr'aal and his region in the Zone; he sat indecisive. Had Technus really turned over a new leaf? The halfa sighed and finally moved Technus' file into the Neutral folder. He'd think more about it later.

He grabbed his bag at the door since he was already dressed and prepared for school, then headed down the stairs. Today was his first day back to school after the field-trip gone bad. It was hard to believe that it had been nearly a month since the whole fiasco had started and changed everything. He'd woken up earlier than normal, simply because he couldn't sleep easy with all the apprehension he had for this day. His parents were also still nervous about Vlad and so he and his siblings and even his friends had been told to always carry and small ecto-weapon in case he somehow had the strength to come back.

"Hey sweetie. Good morning."

Danny looked up to see his mother fixing breakfast. His dad was probably in the lab and Dani was probably still sleeping. Jazz had left for college late last night so that she could try to catch up on some of her school work, before having to travel to D.C. with the family for their meeting at the White House.

"Morning, mom." The teenager plopped down in a seat as his mom continued to cook.

"Any ghosts last night?" She asked and though she wore a smile, she couldn't hide from him how bothered she was.

"Nah. I think everyone kinda has the idea that the Human Realm is a bit more off limits for now."

"You think Frostbite and the others had a hand in that?" He saw her finish a neat pile of waffles before starting two more, this time adding a bit of ectoplasm to the batter. Danny smiled a bit. In some ways, it was a good thing he was a ghost in a ghost hunting house hold. Only his mom could feel normal enough adding something green and glowing to her child's breakfast as a vitamin of sorts.

"Maybe. I don't know much about how fast gossip travels there." Danny chuckled a bit and then took a bite of the waffle his mother served him.

"That is an interesting question." Maddie paused. "Also, how much do you actually know about the Ghost Zone and how it works as an 'ecosystem', for lack of a better term?"

Danny shrugged giving her a passive look. "I don't know all that much. I've memorized a few places, but I swear sometimes they change locations. It's hard to know for sure though because there aren't easy landmarks, so you can't tell if places drift or not. As for being an ecosystem? I'm not sure it's anything like one. There are plants in there, but most of them are… not normal plants and most ghosts don't eat them since most of the plants are actually trying to eat ghosts or humans that get too close. Then there are some that just kinda do grow there for some reason, like that plant you used for the anti-blossom serum you and dad made. There may be some plants that are ghosts themselves formed from more sentient ghosts' desires, but I'm not sure. There's also Ghost Nip…" Danny's nose wrinkled. "But I've never run into any. Other than the fact that the Human Realm and the Ghost Zone are two parts of a whole, I don't know how it's specifically connected or how it is structured. I've never really had the time to ask anyone." Danny stuffed another bite of waffle into his mouth, feeling happy at how it was making his aura glow a bit even in human form.

He saw his mother smirk. "Like it?"

"You bet!" Danny took another bite and then swallowed. "I'll probably visit the ghost leaders pretty soon."

"We should go with you."

"Next time. First I have to learn how to get to Tykr'aal's place. Once I'm familiar with it, you guys can come."

"I know you feel the desire to protect us Danny, but you can't do everything alone."

He glanced up to see a pained look in his mother's eyes. She'd been taking everything pretty hard. He realized then that his parents must feel pretty shitty after everything that had happened. They'd indirectly turned him into a halfa, as well as their college friend, tried to kill him for a while, then when he needs back-up the most, they can't protect him from the authority of the government while they prodded him and his sister like they weren't human… They must feel useless as parents. He smiled at her. "Hey, it's okay you know? Everything will be fine."

Maddie sighed and sat beside her son. "No it's not…" He ran a hand through his hair.

"I know you and dad love me, more than anything. That's something they can't take away, ever."

"They shouldn't take anything away. They shouldn't make you feel like you have to hold onto something as important and basic as that, like there's a chance it _could _be taken away."

Danny frowned. "I'm not the first person to suffer this way… and I'll won't be the last."

Maddie paused for a moment, stunned by how profound her son was being. She sighed. "Alright. But please let us help you sometimes Danny. I… I want to be able to do that since…"

_You weren't able to before now… to make up for all the times I could've used you… for all the time missed…_ Danny smiled regardless. He could've told them sooner. It had been everyone's fault. "I will. I promise."

He was happy to see his mother was seemingly soothed. "Alright. Eat up before your waffles get too cold. I've got to go wake up Ellie."

Danny smiled back at her and nodded before eating more quickly. He needed the energy after all. After a few moments, he snickered when he heard Danielle's panicked screech.

"HOW IN THE WORLD WILL I GET READY IN TIME!?"

Danny listened to thuds and muffled speech from the floor above, even as his mom came back down into the kitchen.

"She forget to set her alarm again?" Danny asked.

"Yes. You always ignore yours and she always forgets it to begin with," Maddie expressed while Danny only gave her a sheepish grin in return. Both of them looked at the entrance to the kitchen when two forms walked in. Jack was on the left and Dani was on the right. Both of them looked supremely tired and their hair was a mess. The two Fentons sat across from each other and while Jack made the table jump once from dropping into his chair, Dani simply let her backpack plop onto the ground. "Danielle, are you even going to brush your hair young lady?"

Danielle looked over her shoulder, past her wasp nest of black hair and groaned. "Awwww…"

"Here," Maddie walked off and came back with a brush and started to work on her daughter's hair. It was quite entertaining to watch, seeing as it appeared to fight back. "Did you need something, hun?"

Jack blinked and then yawned. "Yeah, just some coffee though. I'm going to fix it in a second."

"What have you been doing?" Danny asked, taking his last sip of orange juice.

"Looking over the calculations and theories behind the um gauntlets and catcher."

"Oh."

"I'll be down there once the kids leave, sweetie."

"Heh, you know how I am with numbers," Jack chuckled a bit and scratched his neck. "I get um all switched around, you know?"

"I would've been royally screwed if I'd somehow inherited that…"

"I still made B minuses though."

Danny deflated and Danielle only laughed at Danny's misery. He gave his little sister a glare. "Just wait until you get into high school."

"My teachers have been thinking I could skip ninth grade if I keep at it. I'd still be a year older than Jace and Ash, but we'd been in the same grade then!"

"They're in a grade higher than you? Why are they in the middle school then?"

"That's only Ash that comes over to the middle school. He had to retake a class and one of his extra-curriculars is also over in our building. Jace is purely a ninth grader."

"Huh, why'd Ash have to retake a class?"

"I keep asking Jace, but Ash gives him a murderous look and he shuts up. I'm thinking Jace somehow had a hand in that or Ash just is embarrassed."

Danny rose a brow but smiled all the same. "Well I'm glad you're having an easier time than I did."

"That's only because you were more overwhelmed. You're doing perfectly fine now, sweetie. Mostly As and Bs all the way." Maddie nodded as she finished pulling Dani's hair into a ponytail. "Okay then, hurry up and eat or you both _will_ be late."

zzz

**Amity Park. 7:45 AM.**

"Ugh, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised…" Danny grumbled, peeking through the house's blinds using a tiny and unnoticeable amount of intangibility. Several groups of fans and reporters were stationed right outside on the side of road, waiting for the Phantoms to exit FentonWorks.

"Should we tell mom?" Dani asked.

"No. If we wanted to we could just fly by them invisibly. Don't they know that?" Danny questioned rhetorically before snorting.

"So we just going to dupe them?" Dani replied.

"Yeah I guess so. The fans are nice but annoying and a little creepy and those reporters are only for local news. We can probably ditch them, no harm, no foul." Danny nodded to Dani as the two transformed and the two siblings went intangible and invisible before sinking into the ground.

They flew through the city's streets before coming up and into the sky above Amity. Eventually they spotted the school and started to fly down towards the ground. They noticed that there weren't many students outside the halls at the moment and dropped their intangibility, invisibility and transformations.

Danny paused and whipped around at the same time Dani did, to see Tucker, Sam, and Valerie launch themselves around the corner and duck.

"Do you think we lost them?" Tucker asked.

"Frankly, I think we lost them back on third street," Sam muttered.

Valerie grumbled. "I wish I still had my suit. I could've flown us all here."

"Sorry, Val."

"Not your fault Foley," Valerie replied and then gave the boy's hand a quick pat.

"I'm just wondering if Danny and Danielle are okay. Hopefully they vanished before they walked out of their door," Sam spoke up.

"Aw come on, Sam. Don't you have more faith in us?"

"Especially me," Dani chirped.

The three friends popped their heads up at the same time, noticing the Fentons standing in front of them.

Danny gave Dani a sidelong glare. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"If you're so smart figure it out yourself, broseph," Dani replied before a look of worry crossed her face. "I've got to go, Danny. I'm worried about Ash and Jace."

Danny smirked, though his brows were furrowed in worry. "Alright. Be careful, Dani. I love you."

Dani reached up and gave Danny a brief hug. "Love you too." She waved at the others and then ran off, backpack bouncing against her back.

Danny watched her go as his friends walked up behind him. Sam touched the back of his hand, making him look at her. "She'll be okay. She's tough." Danny smirked and gripped Sam's hand fully.

"I know." Danny glanced over and saw Tucker and Valerie next to him. Danny stared at Tucker's hand for a moment and jerked when Tucker reached out and gripped his other.

"One time, just one, got it?" Tucker asked while Valerie rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you'll lose any of your masculinity oh tech lord," Valerie spoke, causing Sam to snort and then laugh.

"You're all jerks," Tucker mumbled. Team Phantom then walked towards the door as a connected chain, ready to face whatever awaited them inside Casper's hallowed halls.

"Is it weird that I almost dread this as much as I do meeting the President?" Danny asked as they closed in on the doors.

"Nope." The others answered as one.

zzz

**Casper High. 8:00 AM.**

Unfortunately, there were still a fair amount of people in the halls, biding their time until eight fifteen would eventually roll around. As soon as the four breached the hallway, all talking stopped along with movement.

Though there were a few that spared glances at the others, most everyone was staring right at Danny. The small group even noticed a few teachers that were in the hallways, turn to look. Before the teens could really start to try and decipher what was going to happen next, a majority of the students burst into cheers and a few smiles could be found on some of the teachers' faces.

The group was promptly bum rushed and their tight grips on each other's hands, were ripped apart. Then the questions started, catered to each member of the team.

"What is he like?"

"Does he sneak into your house with his ghost powers?"

"Does he take you flying?"

"Dude, did he ever… ya know… peep?"

"You his tech guy or something?"

"How'd you get in on the group, Val?"

"Is there some kinda secret or is it because you're the Red Huntress?"

"Weren't you two dating or something?"

"That's like almost Batman and Catwoman shit right there."

"Is Tucker the next best thing?"

"Dude are you dead?"

"Do you suck out the life force of other things?"

"Did you use your powers to prank Baxter before?"

Danny was frozen in shock and was about to try and turn intangible to get himself and his friends out of there, before a friendly and familiar voice rose above the rest.

"_The Great Gatsby_, people! This is a place of learning, not a red carpet reveal!"

Lancer, Clockwork bless the man, came trotting forward and waving people away from the four bewildered teens. "As your Vice Principle, I do hold the right to hand out heavy punishment!"

At that, most everyone scurried away, save a few that stayed to watch a couple moments more. Lancer, once he was satisfied, looked back at the group to see they were in slight shock and their clothes were wrinkled. The teacher swore Sam's eye was twitching.

"Are you all alright?"

Danny was the first to snap out of it and nodded. "Yeah, thanks Mister Lancer."

"They made my hair frizzy. Do you know how hard it is to balance between waves and frizz?" Valerie questioned, able to feel the stray hairs that had come out of her wavy locks.

"I swear one of the sophomores tried to steal Stella. Good thing she zapped him," Tucker stated, patting his pocket.

"Too much human contact…" Sam muttered with a deadpan expression.

Lancer nodded. "Well, let's head to class since you all have first period with me." He then glanced at Danny. "I want to talk to you all after school if you don't mind."

The four glanced at each other and then nodded at their teacher.

"Good," Lancer turned to start leading them, only to stop and look over his shoulder. "If you need to go after a ghost, simply raise your hand Mister Fenton."

Danny gave a small smile. "Thanks Mister Lancer."

"It's a pleasure Mister Fenton."

zzz

**Physics Class. 9:40 AM.**

Danny's gaze shifted around the classroom as he walked in. So far the day had been about as awkward as he had expected. In English class, some people had said hi to him that would never have bothered before, the A-listers had stayed eerily silent, and Danny had felt eyes lingering on him the entire time, making it fairly difficult to listen to Lancer's lecture. The initial rush of people had ebbed, but now Danny had to deal with the stares, hero worship, and hecklers. The good news was he hadn't run into anyone really unkind yet.

The students who were in the room immediately looked at him when he entered. Danny glanced at Dr. Marlowe, his AP Physics teacher, only to get a shock. The man was staring at him and he could feel the irritation and something similar to disgust directed at him. Danny nervously averted his eyes and took his seat.

After several more minutes the bell rang and Marlowe got ready to speak. "Morning, class. We're going to start with me returning your quizzes from before the break…" The teacher looked briefly at Danny as if the extended closure of the school had been entirely his fault. Danny merely frowned. "Then we're going to get into our small section on quantum theory." Once he was done, the man turned and gathered the quizzes from his desk and started to pass them around.

When he got to Danny's desk, he seemed to take a little sick pleasure in putting the young man's quiz down in front of him, showing off a D minus. "If you're wanting to get into the Space program Mister Fenton, then I suggest you try a bit harder. Then again, there might not be a point." Danny had to stop himself from dropping his mouth in slight shock. What had he ever done to Dr. Marlowe? He tried to think back and figure out if he had destroyed his car or crashed into his apartment on accident, but couldn't come up with anything. He heard some people shift in their seat awkwardly and Danny couldn't bring himself to look back and see who was pitying him and who was unbothered by his treatment.

The class continued and Danny felt a flush of shame and anger fill him when Marlowe told the class they would be discussing Schrödinger's cat. By the time class was over, Danny had a sneaking suspicion that it would take more than Lancer's offer of tutorship to improve his grade in Physics.

zzz

**Lunch. 12:10 PM.**

"Are you serious?" Sam asked. Danny could tell how hard Sam was trying to reel in her righteous fury, though really Valerie wasn't much better and Tucker had a quiet scowl on his face.

"I don't even remember if I did anything that would give him a reason to be upset with me-" Danny trailed off, scratching at the back of his head. It had started to rain, so the group turned to head towards the cafeteria instead of the doors to the outdoor eating area.

"You probably did nothing at all. He's just being racist," Sam replied with a frown.

"Or speciesist. I wonder which one you fall under?" Tucker asked suddenly, making Valerie roll her eyes.

Danny shrugged. "I think I'm more like a human with powers… for the most part. Someone like Clockwork would be a different species, seeing as he wasn't human… but then again he is dead. Does it count as a species if it's dead?" Danny then hummed and then returned to the major topic at hand. "Even if I didn't do anything directly to Dr. Marlowe, there's got to be a better reason for why he did that."

Sam's angry expression dropped and a more sad frown came to her face. She had technically had something similar happen to her with her Math teacher earlier, though it hadn't hurt her feelings because she had been on bad terms with the woman before this whole fiasco. She'd essentially told the teacher to f—k off without saying it directly, through passive aggressive means. Danny wasn't like her though and tended to internalize any criticism. He was sensitive and often over thought things. These types of things would probably happen to anyone that associated with Danny or Danielle for a while if not forever, but that wouldn't scare them off. "No, really there doesn't have to be a reason, Danny. Sometimes people are just bad."

Danny looked at her and frowned. "I don't know…"

Before the conversation could go any farther, they walked into the cafeteria and saw that everyone turned to stare at them. Danny leveled his own eyes at each person, trying to not show as much nervousness. He spotted Danielle, Ash, and Jace sitting at their typical table and oddly there seemed to be an area around the three as if they had the plague. Danny went on alert when he noticed Dani picking at her bag lunch slowly, frowning, and Ash and Jace giving her worried looks.

He strode forward and made it to Dani's side before taking a seat. "Dani, are you okay? What's wrong?"

Dani perked up at the newcomers and furrowed her brows in a mixture of irritation and defensiveness. "Don't you see it?"

"See what?" Valerie asked taking her own seat with the others.

"Everyone's been avoiding me! No body would talk to me or sit near me and they tried to make sure I didn't brush past them or anything!" Dani complained.

"What are we, chopped liver?" Jace asked and Ash gave the boy an irritated look. Normally the boy would've found Jace's joke funny, but the dark haired freshman had noticed that Ash had been giving people the evil eye all day whenever they obviously tried to avoid Dani. How cute, they were already synchronizing their moods.

Dani sighed. "Sorry, Ash and Jace have been great."

Ash smiled a bit at the praise and Jace and Tucker shared a look of knowing.

"They're acting like you're contagious or something," Ash mentioned.

"Pfft, last time I checked you can't catch clone status from being touched," Dani grumbled and stabbed a piece of fruit in her tupperware cup.

Danny frowned. Apparently the public and even school mates were going to be treating the two Phantoms a bit differently. In that sense, Danny had the advantage of having been a human before a halfa. It was easier to humanize him, but Dani…

"Well they can shove their opinions up their-" Sam started only for Tucker to interrupt.

"How about your teachers? Dr. Marlowe treated Danny like a sideshow, maybe because you guys defy physics and all that."

"Gee, thanks Tuck."

Dani shrugged. "They've mostly been normal. Maybe a little forced normal, but normal." She looked back down at her food. "Do you think they're just afraid?"

Danny's face softened. "Probably, sis."

"Uh, guys?"

Everyone looked up at Valerie only to notice that large groups of people had tried to get closer to either listen in or just get close to probably bombard them with questions again. Then the question that would cause a whole other problem for Team Phantoms came. A nerdy looking freshman reached out with a napkin.

"Can I have your autograph?" The poor kid probably meant it innocently enough and Danny was pretty sure he'd saved the kid from getting run over by a car once, when someone had run a red light at a crosswalk, but the lunchroom suddenly erupted into a roaring noise of people clamoring for autographs and asking questions. Even Ash and Jace were crowded and some of the freshman girls were interested in how much hero work they contributed to the team.

Dani finally got the attention she'd been lacking in the form of some of the older students, who were more familiar with Danny Fenton and thus were more comfortable with being near someone he knew closely even if she was a clone.

"Back away you leeches!" Jace wailed, noticing his shirt was getting wrinkled by the closer quarters.

"Did you dye your hair to the same color as the Phantoms'?"

Ash grit his teeth in complete frustration. "Damn it. I just knew somebody would ask that DUMB question."

"So is that a yes?"

"NO!"

"Maybe I should become a vegetarian."

"Yeah."

Sam growled lowly so that only those closest to her would hear. "It's not a fad it's a lifestyle. Of course they would pretend to be interested now."

"Sorry ladies. Crowding is not allowed. Tucker Foley has been taken off the market!"

Valerie groaned, took a page out of Danny's book, and face-planted against the table. "I'm dating this guy?"

Danny groaned and used a brief bit of intangibility every time someone tried to touch him. "Can we not do this? Is that an option? I mean I'm flattered but, uh…" Danny muttered. He was a bit uncomfortable seeing as he was so use to being ignored. Though currently he was saying things and people weren't listening now… Danny sighed and brought up two fingers to his mouth before whistling. Everyone shut up immediately. "I'm willing to sign autographs if you will leave us alone for the rest of lunch." Danny looked over at Danielle and she nodded. "Dani's up for it too." Everyone started to tense up for the jump at being first and Danny threw up his hands. "Single file line on both sides of the table one for me and one for Dani or this isn't happening."

Eventually, with a lot of bustling and some chatter, the lines formed and started to receive autographs from the two heroes.

"What about if I want one from the Red Huntress?"

Valerie's head popped up at that and she rose a brow before a self-satisfied smile formed on her lips. "Sure."

Lines started to form for practically all of the Team Phantom members. Though Ash and Jace were somewhat hesitant to be so whole-heartedly grouped into that sort of hero worship, they eventually caved when some of the students pleaded with them.

"What's the P stand for?" Ash looked up when the question was asked as he finished signing a newspaper article of him, Jace, the Fentons, and Danielle fighting Technus. He didn't know that article had even existed.

Jace smirked but didn't stop as he finished his own signature for someone else.

"I never asked you what your middle name was…" Danielle hummed.

Ash grumbled something under his breath. "I'd rather not say."

Danielle pouted. "I'll figure it out."

"No way."

"She was right…" Danny paused, locking eyes with the girl that he'd just handed the autograph and message to.

"What?"

A sophomore aged looking girl with blonde hair and kind looking green eyes smiled. "Just that you dot your Is in the middle of your cursive writing."

Danny looked at Sam and spoke, "Sam likes to eat cupcakes in steps, toppings, icing, cake." After the words left his mouth, the two blushed faintly and smiled. The crowds eventually dwindled and the group was left to their own devices again.

"Well, good thing that's over." Valerie sighed and slumped.

"Great news, that's probably only the beginning!" Sam expressed with proper sarcasm.

"I don't mind it so much. It's nice to be appreciated by other people, especially people that don't hit me," Tucker responded giving a pointed look to his girlfriend and Sam. "Or overshadow me." He then looked at Danny.

Sam and Valerie opened their mouths before Danny interrupted them with a hand. "That's great Tuck. Just don't let it go to your head."

Tucker smirked and then became a bit somber. He gave the two girls a quick look before looking back at Danny. "Thanks, bro. I know." Then his grin came back full force. "After all we all know that I'm worth listening to." Cue groans.

Danny glanced over at Sam when he noticed her attention had been captured by something. "Hey what's up?"

Sam looked at him before settling back into eating her salad. "I think the A-listers and the rest of the students from the Ozark trip are having trouble figuring out how to approach us. They did see a bit more of your ghostly side than most of the people watching the news know about."

Danny looked up and over his shoulder to see Sam was right. All three groups of people were at their own tables not making any move to even look their way. "Maybe they just need time or something…"

"Or they're doing the same thing my classmates were doing," Dani offered with a shrug.

The friends continued to eat and finished their lunch before starting to clean up in time for their last class. Valerie frowned and looked out of one of the windows with a distant look on her face. "Technus said I can't use my Huntress suit anymore. He had to remove all the nanobots in my body to save my life. I always thought that I would be happy to be able to let go of ghost hunting after I had destroyed Danny Phantom-"

Danny flinched and Valerie smiled. "Sorry Ghost boy." She paused briefly before speaking again, "But now I'm missing it."

Danielle touched Valerie's arm. "Sorry Valerie. I'm sure we could make you a new suit or something."

"Maybe it's for the best that Technus had to completely delete the armor. It would've contained the most damaging evidence that you had helped Vlad even if you hadn't known it at the time. I heard there's a lot of people being sacked in upper management at Axon. Your dad's still okay, right?" Tucker asked. "He seemed to be in an okay mood when I talked to him last. I mean at least he didn't bite my head off."

Valerie perked up. "Actually no. He's wonderful. With all this stuff going on with Danny and Danielle I almost forgot to tell you guys. Daddy's getting the position of CEO when Axon undergoes it's revision and disassociation from VladCo."

"Oh my God, that's great news, Val!" Danny grinned.

"Tell your dad I said congrats," Sam commented as the group headed for the double doors.

"Thanks, Manson. Will do."

"Babe, that's great!" Tucker exclaimed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. The Techno geek continued to smile as a small plan started to form in his mind.

"Me and the guys have to go. See ya later, Danny!" Danielle expressed as she, Ash, and Jace started to walk down the opposite hall.

"Later, Dani." The four older teens responded.

Danny let out a sigh as they walked passed countless lockers.

"What's wrong?" Sam questioned.

"I just remembered-"

"What?" The other three parroted each other.

"Gym class is next."

At that moment, Danny was pretty sure he wasn't the only one of them that felt a little dead inside.

"This is going to be a freaking circus."

zzz

**Gym Class. 1:15 PM.**

The four friends had waited until everyone had left the locker rooms before even trying to get changed. Even that had been a chore, but eventually Sam had managed to scare them all off with a glare before the boys and girls had gone their separate ways. Now everyone was in the gym and Tetslaff was staring at them all with a critical eye. When she finally spoke, Danny wanted nothing more than to bury his head like a ostrich.

"Well I'm pretty sure we don't have any equipment that could simulate whatever ungodly amount of weight you could hold, Fenton."

Danny paled a bit in embarrassment before swallowing and trying to speak. "I can control how much ghost energy I use in my muscles…" Before he hardly got finished with his sentence, Tetslaff was shaking her head.

"No. I want all my students to have their physical limits challenged everyday. I don't like slackers." She eyed Team Phantom. "I would prefer that you four use this period to exercise off campus in whatever way you normally would. I'll be talking with Mr. Kappel and Eldridge as well when I get the chance and I'm sure Coach Kyles would agree to let Mrs. Fenton do the same. I want you to have some sort of video evidence though that you did in fact exercise. Mrs. Manson and Mrs. Gray, I'm certain you can keep those two focused?"

A semi-evil grin snaked its way onto both of their faces before they simultaneously looked at each other and spoke. "Oh, we can."

Tucker leaned closer to Danny. "I'm getting the feeling that I should probably consider writing my will. They'll kill me."

"Yeah and Sam will finish the job with me," Danny swallowed.

"But for now, one last game of dodgeball as a gym class." Tetslaff watched as everyone immediately turned to stare at Danny who balked.

"What!? I never cheated before! Why would I do it now WHEN YOU KNOW ABOUT IT!?" Danny expressed somewhat comically.

"That also means no super-human speed, agility, reflexes, or flexibility," Sam muttered in his ear.

"Right, though I definitely can't control my equilibrium. It's built in," Danny remarked softly in return.

"Baxter you're Team One's captain! Nancy you're Team Two's!" The coach called out before snagging the bag of balls.

Danny turned and locked eyes with Dash. The quarterback froze for a moment before seemingly seeing right through his old punching bag. Then he turned and somewhat quietly for him spoke Kwan's name. Danny was surprised. He had expected whoever was first to jump at the chance to have him on their team, not that he was being boastful or anything, but it just made sense. Maybe he'd try to find Dash and the others later and ask what was wrong.

"Danny."

Danny perked up and looked over to see Nancy motioning to him, she wasn't anyone he really knew from all the kids in the halls. Even though he had expected to be picked, he still couldn't help but think bitterly about how people _now_ wanted him on their team. He and Tucker used to be the last picked all the time.

"I would like to see the ghost hunters use some of what they've been holding back, just don't over do it, understand?" Tetslaff shouted out loud after the teams had been picked. She blew the whistle and thus began the slaughter.

zzz

**Boy's Locker Room. 2:45 PM.**

"I feel bad. I should go and at least apologize. He's got to have a broken nose. Do you mind if I head out, Danny? The girls will wait for you."

Danny looked over at the door of the stall, knowing that a changed Tucker was standing on the other side. During the game of dodgeball, Tucker had thrown a dodgeball a bit too hard and had nailed some guy they didn't even know in the face. He'd headed to the nurse soon after once the dizziness had stopped. Sam and Valerie had done a pretty good job of holding back, while Danny felt he'd probably over compensated quite a bit, even letting himself get hit once by a ball he could've probably dodged with a jump that wouldn't have necessarily been overkill.

"Yeah no problem, dude. See ya at Lancer's office."

"Alright. I swear you're rubbing off on me. I used to want to get back at people, but now it's just not worth it and this guy wasn't even someone I know!"

"Naw, Tuck. That's just your human compassion showing."

"Ha ha."

Danny smiled as he heard his friend walk away. After another second of switching out of his gym shorts to his jeans, Danny gathered his things and walked out of the door, only to run into a wall of a person.

"Oof!" Danny took a step back and and looked up. "Geez, sorry about that. Uh…"

He was surrounded. Practically two thirds of the football team and maybe a few of the larger fellows from the basketball team were all staring at him. He couldn't see Dash, Kwan, Alroy, or Tyson anywhere.

Danny went to open his mouth again, when the boy he'd run into grabbed him and shoved him against the sinks. The half-ghost whirled around to see that they were all still boring their eyes into him. "What the hell?!"

"What are you going to do about it, Fenton?" The unnamed jock asked.

Danny blinked. "Excuse me?"

Another jock pulled out a towel and whipped it right next to Danny's face, though the teen didn't flinch at all. "You gonna fight back with your spooky powers?"

Danny's felt his eyebrows rise against his will. "Are you trying to provoke me or something?"

The first jock furrowed his brows, reared back and punched Danny straight in the face. Danny recoiled slightly and put a hand over the afflicted area. He pulled his hand away and a tiny bit of blood welled in his mouth and tried to escape through the corner of his lips. "Congratulations tough guy, you made a living thing bleed. You must feel really special." A flicker of self satisfaction lit up inside Danny. This was one of the first times he got to use blatant sarcasm as Fenton.

"Whatever, Freak. Come on. Use some of your power." The boy sneered.

Danny couldn't help but look at them dumbfounded. He just couldn't understand what they were trying to gain. He knew sometimes people would be jerks, but he just couldn't… understand. Was it just because he wasn't completely human anymore?

"Hello, earth to Ghost boy!"

"He must be brain dead."

"Tch, no wonder he used to get F's all the time."

Danny tensed at the jeers and finally had enough. He bowed up, not allowing himself to bend his back in Fenton's general submissive posture. Phantom was here now, or at least the half of Fenton that had always had to hide behind Phantom's persona. "Back off and leave me alone. Go home and do your homework. I'll be busy keeping ghosts from ruining your precious day!" Danny spat somewhat bitterly as he tried to shove past the main aggressor. He mentally groaned when the boy laid a large hand on his shoulder. He started to swing punches again and Danny kept dodging them somewhat easily. The other jocks were cheering their buddy on.

"Must suck not being able to fight back, huh?"

Danny's eyes widened a bit when he realized partially what this was about. They were just a bunch of opportunists. They knew he was on thin ice with the government and people in general. "You know what? I'm going to take a wild guess and imagine you becoming one of those people I put on my crazy Fruitloops list." Danny dodged another swing, noticing that the kid was getting worn out. He started ticking off his own fingers as he continued to maneuver around the punches, keep away from the other jocks, and not use his powers. "You're opportunistic, you don't play fair, you apparently enjoy other people's suffering-" He paused. "That's already looking bad and I'm only one third of the way down the requirements list… Do you happen to own a cat?"

"RAAAH!" The boy almost screamed out and missed Danny only to punch the wall. He clutched his hand. He hissed bitterly. "Phantom… busted up my hand."

Danny narrowed his eyes in confusion and irritation. "I didn't-" He froze mid-sentence as he realized what the boy meant. He locked eyes with his attacker. "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you? I'd give my life before I let you get hurt…" he heard a couple of the probably more peer pressured individuals that were probably simply afraid to be singled out, murmur to each other or themselves.

"Because you need to be locked away."

"Why? I won't hurt you. You generally don't lock up someone until after they've committed a crime."

"Because you're just too dangerous."

So that was it then. It was fear that drove some of these people. Somehow the idea that people out there feared him, hurt worse than any insult he could hear from bigots. He instinctually went intangible when a random person threw another punch at him, only… it wasn't a punch. Danny looked up only slightly into Dash Baxter's eyes as his long-time bully's hand hovered in the middle of his intangible shoulder. "Dash?" The boy didn't answer as he retracted his hand and gave everyone there a hard glare.

"Get out."

"If you wanna take a swing at him Baxter you just have to ask."

Danny finally noticed Kwan was next to Dash and was giving the others a glare he didn't know the more soft-hearted jock was capable of. It was almost scary. There was silence before Dash spoke in a dangerous tone.

"I swear to God if you don't leave the locker room in five seconds, who's ever left will be kicked off whatever team you're on." Danny remembered that Dash was actually the captain for both the football and basketball teams. There seemed to be a few, especially the main antagonist, that wanted to say something, but eventually they all filed out. A few gave the three looks as they left.

Danny, Dash, and Kwan were alone. Then Danny heard Dash say something that he never thought he'd hear and it wasn't just what he said, but how he said it…

"You okay, Fenton?"

It was so sincere and not even seemingly coated in hero worship or fear either. Danny felt weird and somewhat confused when his core thrummed slightly. He pushed the thoughts away though for the moment.

"Fine now. Uh, thanks?" Danny stated, though it did come out more as a question.

Dash opened his mouth, looking as if he was really wanting to say something, but snapped it shut again. He turned and marched right out of the room, with Kwan on his tail. The asian boy waved slightly and spoke, "Take care of yourself, Danny."

And then Danny was alone. He knew he needed to leave the locker rooms and find Sam and Valerie so they could meet with Tucker at Lancer's office, but he couldn't help but stand for a moment, reflecting on what had just occurred.

His core had thrummed. He didn't talk about it much, though his friends and family were aware of the phenomenon, because it sounded kinda embarrassing…

His core only thrummed near his loved ones, namely family and his dear friends, ghost and human alike.

Why had it thrummed briefly when Dash and Kwan were near?

zzz

**Study Hall. 1:15 PM.**

Ash was a patient boy for the most part. Sure he could get bored and loose focus and even sometimes annoyed more easily than he should, but for the most part, he was very patient. So why in God's green earth did he end up being best friends with and have a crus- He nearly spat out the water in his mouth at where his train of thought had gone. Before he could resume his internal conversation, a piece of rolled up paper bounced against his cheek. There was a growing pile of tiny spheres of paper on his desk now.

"Tell me."

"No."

Ash brooded, at having to deny Dani again. The girl just wouldn't drop it. Ever since that stupid kid had asked what the P in his name stood for, she'd dogged him about it.

At present, the three friends were in the back of the room and most everyone was avoiding them still. There were a few, most likely younger siblings of upperclassmen that knew Danny, that had tried to sit closer, but some fear Ash couldn't personally comprehend made them still keep their distance. I mean, who wouldn't want to know Danielle? She was hilarious, liked video games and could actually whip his butt at them, liked similar foods, wasn't overly superficial, smart, brave, loyal, kind- The boy's face started heating up against his will. The hell was he doing?

"Don't think too hard about what your fantasying over or something embarrassing will happen," Jace hissed.

Ash looked at his guy friend blankly for a second before his mind caught up. He stood hurriedly in complete shock. "WHAT!?"

"Mr. Kappel. Please try to keep from disturbing the other students. Some of them do have homework to do." The woman narrowed her eyes. "And I imagine you could be doing something productive too."

Ash chuckled nervously and flushed this time in embarrassment. "Sorry Ma'am, won't happen again." He then sat down.

"Really nice. I try so hard and you still managed to play yourself." Jace joshed.

"Shut up, Jace." Ash merely pouted, not truly blaming his friend, except for taking pleasure from his discomfort.

Ash growled in irritation when another piece of paper bounced near his eye.

"Tell me~" Dani whispered in a sing-song voice.

"No!" Ash whisper yelled.

Dani sighed in annoyance and slumped against her desk. "Why not? It's got to be better than Barnhill, anyways. I hope with all this stuff happening after the trial, we can find the time to go get that changed. Maybe David handled it…"

Ash was going to argue and say no it wasn't before he finally felt a little remorse. Names, parents, a sense of home… Suddenly Ash had a moment of realization at just how much people tend to take for granted. It didn't matter if Dani was born in a glass tube or in a hospital, that part probably was one of the last things about being a clone that bothered her. Not to mention other people were technically born that way, they just weren't a near genetic copy of someone else. He could share his name with her. Jace knew it and they were all friends. Everyone else was not including her, now he was doing almost the same thing really.

"It's… Paki."

He watched from the corner of his eye as Dani stared at him. He started to feel hot under her gaze.

"Paki?"

"Look I know it's stupid, that's why I prefer it stay a P in my name really."

"I don't think it's stupid. Does it stand for something? I doesn't really match the rest of your name."

Ash glanced over at her and exhaled through his nose. "My parents took a trip to South Africa before I was born. They did some charity work and experienced the culture. It was a few years worth of their lives. Paki means witness in the Xhosa language."

"Witness, huh?" Dani asked and then cradled her face in one hand, while furrowing her brows to ponder. "I think that suits you."

The bell rang shortly after that and the three friends left class before anyone else. As they walked down the hall, Ash looked over and saw that some of Dani's hair had slipped out of her ponytail. Her hair was pretty. And suddenly Ash realized he'd frozen in the action of pushing back her hair behind her ear and thinking about her hair being pretty. It had been like his body had suddenly been overshadowed by a ghost. He tried to work his mouth as Dani stared at him with a mixture of confusion, that broke his heart, and something more like a subtle flustered look, that warmed him.

Jace watched from behind the two with a defeated look on his face. "This is just sad." He glanced behind him and saw the rest of the students from Study Hall were catching up. To spare his friends the embarrassment of explaining or being caught, he placed a hand on each of their backs and started to propel them forward. It payed being the tallest of their trio, even if really couldn't claim to be strongest for obvious reasons.

Eventually he didn't have to push them anymore and Dani had chosen to walk ahead of them for a little bit, most likely thinking about Ash's actions. Jace knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but look at his friend.

"Don't-"

"Just make sure-"

"Jace!" Ash hissed.

"-you invite me to the wedding. I also suggest someplace in the Rocky's for the honeymoon. It's not quite as cliche as a beach resort." Jace noticed Dani go rigid slightly as she walked. Oops, forgot about enhanced hearing. Ash was red from his neck to his hairline.

"I hate you."

There was a pause.

"I still get to be the best man though, right?"

Ash simply groaned and pulled the hood of the black sweatshirt he was wearing over his face.

zzz

**Lancer's Office. 3:00 PM.**

"I was hoping things wouldn't get that sketchy but I guess it's somewhat expected unfortunately," Tucker sighed. The four friend had started their walk to Ishiyama and Lancer's collective offices to discuss their situation. Dani and her friends should be there soon as well. Danny had just told them about his experience in the locker room. His friends had been pissed, Tucker had felt bad for leaving him alone, and all four of them had been confused by Dash and Kwan's behavior. While before the reveal but after the truce, they had seemed helpful and friendly, there was a tense awkwardness that held between the Ozark trip kids and Team Phantom. Ultimately, the four friends had turned to silently walking.

"I'm going to tell Lancer and Ishiyama. They might not be able to do much, but they should at least be aware," Sam expressed, trying to be calmer and keep a level head. As much as she wanted to hunt those boys down and do something more verbal and out-spoken, she understood subtly and tact too. This was one of those times that required tact and self-control.

"Yeah." Danny nodded, still thinking about the thrum from his core. It was probably best to wait to mention Dr. Marlowe, seeing as that was a more delicate subject.

Valerie stayed silent, scowling slightly. Eventually the group knocked before walking into the office space. Lancer and Ishiyama were sitting, talking a bit with Dani, Ash and Jace.

"Hello, Daniel, Sam, Tucker, Valerie," Ishiyama smiled and stepped forward some before motioning to some chairs. "Come, let's talk."

So the group sat and talked. They came to a decision that simply raising their hands would suffice in the case of a ghost attack, though they preferred if only Danny and maybe Danielle left during school hours, unless there was reasonable evidence to suggest the two ghosts needed back up from the human members of the team. They had already contacted their parents and had talked in depth with them a couple days before, so that was set in place as well. Sam's parents still weren't entirely pleased with the idea of her hunting ghosts, Tucker's and Valerie's were worried, and Ash's and Jace's had asked that they be careful and continue their hunting and self defense lessons with the Fentons. Ash's and Jace's parents had also planned to go and meet the Fentons for the first time. Danny took the time to tell them about the incident in the locker room and the two faculty members thanked him for talking about it and asking he tell them of any other incidents and names involved if he could.

The last thing they talked about was tutoring opportunities for skipped classes and lost study time. Though the last issue wasn't as much of a problem now, seeing as Danny's grades had risen within the last year and a half to mostly Bs a couple high Cs and even a couple As. Lancer pointed out that it could technically improve though and was willing to practically open his schedule entirely for the group, not that he would tell his students that he didn't have much of anything better to do. Maybe now the teacher could find something to be a part of, tutoring heroes.

Lancer watched as the students before him talked happily with Ishiyama about the arrangements, thanking both of the faculty members for the help. It was like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders, especially the original trio's. Danny, Sam, and Tucker had always seemed so heavy and tired, but now they seemed truly happy. Lancer couldn't remember the last time he personally felt so fulfilled, especially after- He paused in thought, trying not to linger on those depressing memories.

"Mr. Lancer?"

Lancer popped his head up to lock eyes with Danny himself. "Oh, yes, what was that Daniel?"

Danny smiled a bit. "I just wanted to thank you again."

Lancer smiled happily. "You're quite welcome, Mr. Fenton."

After a little more talking, the teens left the office. Ishiyama asked Lancer to photocopy the new mandates to pass out to the teens' teachers and school Nurse so that they knew about the new allowances for their special students and then Lancer was left to his own devices. He decided to organize his binder and get ready to head home. He could copy the mandate with his own copier at home.

He turned with briefcase in hand, ready for a night of grading papers and some light reading, only to open the door and find a startled Dash Baxter and Kwan Han. Lancer leaned out a bit and saw Alroy MacEntire and Tyson Rayne.

"Can I help you boys?"

Dash let out a breath. "We've been talking…" Lancer saw the boy was having trouble and so he stayed silent when he paused. "We want to somehow make up for all the bad stuff we did to people. We're going to try and say sorry later as well, but we wanted…"

Lancer nodded. "I see. I hope you aren't trying to find some other outlet to make yourselves feel better about your actions. I want to know you fully intend to apologize to those kids."

Dash's mouth opened and then closed before he nodded. He then looked back at Lancer's face. "I can also tell you who tried to corner Danny in the locker room."

Lancer let out a breath and nodded. "Come in, all of you. Most likely they will be given warnings this time, but I would still like to know who to be concerned about."

After the last young man entered the office, the door clicked shut.

Paulina, Star, Megan, and Dinah watched from a nearby hallway. "They're really serious about this, huh?" Dinah asked softly.

"Yeah, they are. Kwan talked to me about it a lot the other day," Star expressed.

"I heard Lesley started hanging out with Melanie the other day and that they're going to the mall with one of the band girls. I think her name's Sarah," Megan added.

Dinah looked at Paulina. "What should we do, Pauly? There are technically still a few people trying to hold onto the A-listers idea. Some of the jocks that Dash used to know a little less than his close buddies and even Brittany. I heard she was planning to take your place as the Queen of Casper High…"

Paulina was silent for a little while. Then she finally spoke, "I don't know." She then walked away. The other three girls watched as their friend moved further away.

"Is she okay, Star?" Megan asked.

Star shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe she's not used to feeling guilt…"

Dinah let out a breath and brushed some hair behind her ear and away from her eye. "I'm starting to think none of us really are." She then looked at Star directly. "Call us later."

Star nodded and gave a small smile. "Yeah, I will. Bye girls." After the two dark-haired friends had walked off, Star turned to look in the direction that Paulina had left in. "I guess this is the kind of moment that determines what true friendship is." Star took a deep breath and then jogged off to find her sad friend.

* * *

**I hope it was worth the wait. I'm trying to take a lot of differing approaches to how people are reacting to the truth, so I hope everyone likes my plan as it's revealed.**

* * *

**I will be answering any questions from previous chapter in the AN of the next chapter.**


	30. Friends and More

**Okay here we go. Hi everyone! It's been over four months since I've published, just like I thought it would be. I finally got through the end of my school and got to rest a little bit. I've been working on getting registered for my next step in my education as well as finishing volunteering for a few days for a summer camp, which was fun. ****As you might've seen, I decided I wouldn't publish again until I'd finished two chapters for you guys.**

**As for the info that most of you probably care most about: Update Schedule. Read below.**

**I'm not sure what my schedule will be. I know I will not be updating The Master Challenge and Pondus Omnium at the same time. This time is merely a coincidence because it's the end of my Hiatus. Truth is, it's just easier for me to write for Danny Phantom at present, so you might see it being updated more often than The Master Challenge. I'll probably also update Phandom Phables from time to time seeing as they are fun stress relieving oneshots, etc.**

**I will ask that no one pester me about updates. Use your hearts and brains to know the difference between pestering and asking politely. Those with accounts can always PM me. For Guests, I prefer you don't ask about updates in reviews if you don't have an account. If you ignore my request for this just be aware that they won't appear in the reviews section because I will be deleting them. It's nothing against you, honest, it's just that I don't want a bunch of reviews asking about updates. It ups the review numbers without giving true feedback about the story itself. Also, Guests, I can never answer questions in your reviews directly. This site doesn't allow that(I don't know if other sites do and that's why people get confused). The only way I can answer you is through text in the chapters I publish.**

**Okay so short story: Don't know what my schedule will be. It's hard to get back into the swing of things. Don't pester me (luckily no one has yet). I thank you all for being amazing fans and people. I'm officially out of Hiatus.**

**Sorry for the massive AN.**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts or distant speaking_

zzzz

_"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." ~ Jimi Hendrix_

zzz

**Ghost Zone. Edge of the Green Haze. 3:10 PM.**

Though Dan preferred destruction, it did not necessarily mean he didn't find certain things beautiful. There were probably a few things that he found beautiful that others wouldn't, like revenge with a cruel and perfectly utilized twist of irony, fire burning a city or town as the sun set, and mud, blood, and numerous other stains marring Guys in White suits or war machines. There were also, however, things that other people might actually find to be just as beautiful as he did. For example, the shores of the Dead Sea in the Ghost Zone.

Compared to other pieces of land within the Zone, the one that encircled and held the expanse of the Dead Sea had to be one of the largest if not in fact the largest land masses. It was slighter larger than the Atlantic Ocean and ranged in climates across the vast lands and it's islands and shores. It was kinda weird to think of an island of land on water on an island of land floating in ether, but here it was.

"Now… I'm at least getting close to the colder areas…" Dan murmured, not quite willing to part from the view yet. The 'water' in the Dead Sea was a dark green-blue which wasn't too far off of what the actual ocean looked like, at least for Ghost Zone standards. The waves however, would cause dim ripples of glowing blue to shine. It was similar to bioluminescent waves in the real world, but instead of phytoplankton it was simply the ecto-energies making up the 'air' and 'water' mingling with each other. In this region there were no islands in sight, except for some icebergs that were partially melted. He looked down when a turquoise seal with a third eye rose to the surface and lazily watched him.

Dan ignored the creature and simply watched the pulsing of the waves for a few more minutes. He almost accidentally let himself fall into trance state when he was alerted by a few sudden noises. The seal dove back into the water quickly and he could feel rumbling of some type of fight in the distance. He let his ghost sense out and got the same ping that had lead him there. An eager smile broke across his face and his fangs glistened. "Finally, some action." He faded into invisibility before flying in the direction of the fight.

It wasn't too long before he came across an interesting sight. A large viking like ghost with white-blue skin and orange-red hair and beard was battling against a massive serpent made of ice crystals.

The viking had iron carved armor lined with fur, no helmet of any kind, and a large shield in his left hand and hefty war axe in his right. The serpent was wrapped around a large spire of ice, growling at the other ghost. It seemed to be made of hundreds of ice spikes. The only smooth looking place on its body was its stomach, though it had ridges for the sake of friction.

"Come down and face yer fate, cowardice serpent!" The viking yelled out. The serpent eyed him and gave a hiss but nothing more. The man growled in returned and struck the spire of ice like a tree with his axe.

Dan watched as the serpent shot out a pressurized stream of cold fog. It struck the warrior's shield and frosted its metal rapidly. The serpent gained some confidence and finally slunk down to the ice field, still blasting out the icy fog.

Suddenly, through the fog, the serpent didn't see the wild swing that completely severed it's massive head from it's body. It screamed out and it's body began to thrash. The viking started to see an ice spike grow out from the head and try to reconnect to the body.

"Ah noh you dohn't." The Beserker smashed the new ice with his boot and leaned down closer to the beast. "Now, where is yore master? I know there is a much larger serpent in this sea. I want the Leviathan!"

The serpent merely snapped its maw.

"Very well."

Dan watched without emotion as, whom he figured was no doubt Brynjar, smashed in the creature's head with his shield and then sliced right through the core that was revealed. The beast's body began to turn into green slime before evaporating into the Zone's ether. Whatever soul it may have had was no longer connected to this plane and had moved onto whatever place was in store for it.

The viking let out a short unneeded breath and a small fog came from his nostrils. Dan decided it was time to attack. Without warning or bothering to ask if he was even the right guy, since the dark Phantom didn't care, the invisible Dan slammed bodily into the supposed Berserker.

The viking ghost let out and grunt of irritation and pain when he smashed into and through a nearby icy structure. Dan faded into the visible spectrum at that point. "Brynjar the Berserker, you're wanted by Walker for crimes against the Zone."

Dan frowned slightly when he heard a deep throated laugh echo from the fog around the shattered ice mound. "So, the fool has sent another money grubber out to be vanquished at my hands. It's ardly even worth my time." Brynjar stepped through the fog and came face to face with the floating Dan. "So then, who be the new guy, eh? Well son, what's yer name?"

Dan landed softly on the clear and white ice field, kicking up a small ring of ice crystals. "I'm your next challenge. The money is a great bonus, but I don't really value such things. I'm more interested in crushing my opposition. That is my reward." Dan watched as Brynjar's expression changed from mocking and aloof to a bit more serious.

"You seem awful confident. What are ya anyway? You don't really look like one of those Vampires from the Gloaming Grove, even if you do have the chompers for it. Are you one of those Dragonkin like Dorathea or an Elf with them ears?"

Dan snorted at all the guesses. "None of the above."

"Then what are ya?"

Dan grinned, exhaling a bit of steam. Brynjar looked down and noticed that the ice around the ghost's feet was starting to look a little soft and slushy. "I'm just a phantom I suppose." Dan could no longer control the curling of the corners of his mouth, causing a more maniac looking grin to show itself. He was getting excited and after so long of not destroying something or fighting, pardon him if he didn't have as much patience for his normal crafty scheming. He wanted cool ectoplasm smeared on his gloves.

"A phantom, hm? Very well, come then Phantom and see if you can bring me a good death!" Brynjar declared. He barely was able to throw up his shield in time before a torrent of blazing hot ghost fire from Dan's palm pushed against it and tried to lick around the corners of the round piece of steel.

Dan split into four copies and flew over. Each copy took turns in knocking the shield back enough to launch some powerful punches to Brynjar's head and chest. With the warrior a bit stunned, Dan reclaimed his copies quickly before blasting the ghost with a breath of super-heated fire. The phantom slowly landed, never stopping the assault before snapping his mouth shut and preforming a round house kick directly into Brynjar's chest. He was spiked into the ground and dung a trench for at least the length of a football field before coming to a stop.

Dan snorted, displeased in the lack of effort he'd put into this so far, and lifted up slightly to float towards his downed opponent. _I've fought humans with more persistence and grit_. That was a sad fact indeed. He finally reached Brynjar and looked down into the trench, seeing the ghost was completely covered in debris.

"Hmph. I don't think you really understand what you're dealing with."

The Berserker moved, pulling himself out from underneath the large pieces of ice. Then Brynjar slowly looked up, red coloring the entirety of his eyes. Dan watched as a dark red aura blazed around the icy warrior. "I don't believe you do either, boy." Then the Berserk Brynjar charged, swinging his axe down in a full arc.

zzz

**Casper High Courtyard. 3:34 PM.**

Danny was in a good mood after talking with Ishiyama and Lancer, as were the rest of his and Dani's friends, until they exited the building and forgot that the entire world knew who they were.

Team Phantom froze when they saw the twenty plus trucks parked out front, hailing from multiple news stations and multiple countries.

"Well damn," Dani muttered.

"Dani…" Danny warned.

"Oh come on! I'm only a couple years younger than you!"

"Technically you're barely four…" Tucker murmured, only to get a glowing green stare from the girl.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Look!"

"Dépêchez, ici." (Hurry, here.)

"Schnell, schnell." (Quick, quick.)

"Karera wa asokodesu." (They're over here.)

"Joe, get the camera."

Danny felt his body tense as several reporters and their cameramen suddenly descended upon the little group.

"What really are the extent of your powers?"

"Is it true that you could take over the mind of any world leader?"

"Was wissen Sie über die Spielzeuglinie ToysForAll produziert denken?" (What do you know about your toy line produced by ToysForAll?)

"Anata ga shibō shita baai wa dono yō ni mada ikite imasu ka?" (How are you still alive if you died?)

"How does it feel to know you're a copy of another human being?" Ash gave the reporter who asked that question of Dani, an irritable look.

"Sont vos yeux brillent? Le font-ils tout le temps?" (Are your eyes glowing? Do they do that all the time?)

Danny's eyes were glowing brightly and he wasn't too pleased about the questions that were being thrown Danielle's way. He grabbed onto his friends tightly as Dani did the same for hers before speaking, "Nescio vos linguis utuntur expectatis anglicus et ego modicum agri ludent aequat. Non comment. Non comment. Non comment. Et sic porro. Vestris quaestionibus respondebitur in tempore opportuno. Vale." (I don't know the languages you're using except for English, so I'll level the playing field a bit. No comment. No comment. No comment. And so on. Your questions will be answered in due time. Goodbye.)

The teens then vanished into thin air and, unbeknownst to the reporters, phased right through them.

"Why'd you speak in Latin, Danny?" Dani asked.

"So they'd be distracted and wouldn't try to immediately ask more questions," Danny expressed. "I'll answer their questions after I've talked at the White House. They can wait until then."

The group landed around the corner from Valerie's house, seeing as she was the first person they needed to drop off. Though there were a few people milling about, trying to most likely corner her to ask her questions about being the Red Huntress and having membership on Team Phantom or about her Dad's relationship with Vlad or Axon, she assured them that she would be okay.

Tucker was next and he simply asked to be phased through his roof and into his room. The second to last stop was Ash's house where Jace would be waiting for his father to pick him up in a couple hours, since both his parents worked. Ash's mom actually let them in, seeing as there wasn't a crowd outside of their house like some of the others.

"So, you're Danielle?" The woman asked. She was trim and mild looking. Her hair was dark brown and just above her shoulders in length. Her eyes were also brown and looked over the young girl slowly and analytically, though not necessarily with ill intent.

Dani froze up a bit and nodded slowly. She felt the extreme need to change back into her human form.

The woman looked over at Danny next. "And your Daniel, right?"

Danny's face changed a bit and he held out his hand. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Danielle's brother."

"Well… I think we all know you're a bit more than that."

Danny's hand faltered and Ash looked at his mother in mortification. "Mom!"

She smiled slightly, though one could see the slight nervousness in her actions. "I didn't mean any disrespect. It's just a lot to take in. Ash really seems to care about you all."

"Milly? Who's at the door?"

Ash's mom looked behind her and shouted. "Richard, it's Ash's friend Danielle, and her brother Daniel and his girlfriend, Sam."

A man with dirty blond hair with hazel eyes came around the corner, as he worked to tie his tie. He studied them for a moment before moving to clasp Danny's outstretched hand. "Mr. Kappel."

"It's nice to meet you, sir." Danny nodded.

The man hummed slightly and looked at the group. He walked over to a plate that had some type of baked sweets on it. "They seem good."

"Richard?" Milly asked.

"Hell, they're probably more normal than you and I were during our Woodstock years." Richard's voice muffled at the end while he bit down on some type of cookie.

"Rick!"

"What? you know it's true." Rick's eyebrow lifted and he pointed to his son with one finger. "I'm not happy about you running off to gawk at those government loons when they came for your friends here, but so long as you don't do drugs, don't get someone pregnant, and don't wake us up at some ungodly hour unless you really need to-"

"RICK!"

"Then I'm good." He paused and nodded. "And like we said before, you're going to continue those defense courses with the Fentons and we'll be having dinner with them soon."

Danny blanched. "Oh God."

"Don't worry son, your sister called us up out of the blue and warned us. I can't guarantee I'll be able to stop the dad joke train though."

Ash was so pale that he was starting to match his hair color.

Rick walked over to Milly who was hiding her face in her hands and kissed her cheek. "Love you, thanks for the late lunch break. I'll be back at eight, hopefully."

Milly sighed and then smiled. "Love you too." She then noticed him reaching for another sweet and swatted his hand. "No sir! That's your sixth one. You're watching your cholesterol!"

"Shoot!" Rick yelped and trotted to the door to escape his wife. "Later, kids." The door then snapped closed. She looked over at the kids and saw Dani was thinking hard about something.

"Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"What's Woodstock?"

Ash yelped and shook his head, pleading with Danny.

"Oh now I just want to know more."

Milly watched as the friends talked and gestured wildly and with complete freedom with each other. A smile graced her face.

zzz

Danny and Sam were the last two walking around Amity after school. Dani had gone home after dropping off Ash and Jace and had started helping Jack with some type of invention.

Sam had reminded Danny of something they needed to do.

"I wonder if he figured it out."

"I mean it's possible, but it's not a completely straight forward jump. It still requires a bit of thought."

Eventually, Danny, in human form, phased himself and Sam into the back of the Art Gallery. Danny stumbled out of invisibility when he saw what Fundoo was painting. "Oh my God."

Fundoo perked up in surprise at the voice, before his eyes widened. "You've returned."

Sam simply stared at the painting in amazement. It was a full portrait of Danny Phantom, in the same position as the one sculpture Danny had commissioned for to Fundoo. His tail was curled as he flew into the sky, arms falling behind and face pointed at a full moon, causing the white of his suit and hair to match up with the moon's glow. Small dark shapes and yellow dots below indicated the buildings of Amity.

Fundoo put down his brushes and palette and walked over slowly, a smile gracing his face. "Do you like it, Mr. Eidolon?"

Danny didn't bother to act surprised. He smiled, laughed a bit in nervousness. "I don't know. I mean I think you're a great artist, but I can't really imagine people staring at a painting of me."

"Hey, at least it's not a giant-ass statue or something," Sam remarked.

Fundoo hummed. "Humble too, yes? Like many of the ancient tales about heroes, mentioning both their hubris and the value of humility."

Danny coughed into his hand.

"I figured out why TheEidolon has been unable to supply anymore figures."

"Yeah."

"It's a shame, they were flying off the shelves before."

Danny cleared his throat. "About that. I do want to keep making them."

A hope seemed to light in Fundoo's eyes. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, just… I don't want to advertise them as being made by Phantom, okay? I know that's tempting, but I was hoping-"

Fundoo nodded his head fervently. "Yes yes! I understand! You want to keep up the mystique!" He tried to move his painter's smock in front of the lower half of his face to emphasize his point.

"Uh, sure."

"So I'll continue to message your lady friend and we'll return to the same pattern as before?"

Danny nodded and then paused for a second. "Would you mind taking sculptures from my sister as well? She could use the practice."

Fundoo grinned. "But of course! She'll need to give me a few samples and come up with a pen name too."

"Yeah."

Sam wrote something down and gave it to Fundoo. "Here's one of my email addresses. You can send orders through this. Don't share it."

"Understood, my dear." Fundoo smiled at them both. "It's incredible really. To literally have the gift to make art straight from one's very soul-"

Danny blinked, confused and yet oddly touched by the man's words. He'd almost expected the man to have tossed paint and other things at him, telling him how he'd cheated by using his powers to make art, not paint a giant portrait of him and talk as if he was the pinnacle of what it meant to be an artist. "Thanks…" Danny spoke in a quiet and slightly awed tone.

After a few more words and farewells, the couple left the Gallery and started walking through alleyways, trying to avoid most people.

Danny looked over at Sam, walking beside him and seemingly at peace, the complete opposite of what he was feeling. Though things had been showing improvement and possibilities for a better future, everything was just so crazy and he was starting to feel bad for pulling his family, friends, and his friends' families into his troubles. He didn't want to drag everyone down with him. As much as he knew they all cared about him, it still bothered him. He let out a quiet sigh. Of course, the girl immediately heard it and took notice.

"What's wrong?"

Danny frowned a bit and stopped walking. "What do you think would've happened to all of us if things had stayed normal?"

"Come again?" Sam replied, feeling her eyebrow arch up.

"If my parents had never tried to make a portal to the Ghost Zone."

Sam hummed. "Well then there's the possibility that the world would've been defenseless against supernatural take over from someone like Pariah Dark or any other nutcase."

Danny was silent for a moment, absorbing what Sam had said. After a moment of quiet, Danny spoke again. "And us? What do you think would've happened to us? I mean, we're going to be watched like some kind of celebrity couple." Danny's eyebrow's furrowed in irritation. "I don't like the idea that everyone I know and care about has to be a sideshow alongside me and Danielle." Danny started to speak in a mocking voice. "Oh hey look it's that Tech guy that's friends with the Ghost Boy. Hey, there's that girl who has a dead brother. Hey there's the goth that gets to have a dead boyfriend."

Sam put up a hand. "Whoa, you know I'm not into all that jazz. I like the dark, mysterious, and unique, not the bizarre and disturbing."

Danny nodded and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, yeah, but the world doesn't know that." He paused again. "I just don't want our relationship to be in danger of being ruined by tabloids and the masses. You know? In case we actually…" Danny swallowed. "Had a future together…"

Sam nodded to everything Danny said, before looking at him when he mentioned the possibility of their future and a million topics and things that could symbolize that popped into her head. "A future, huh?"

Danny glanced at her and sighed. "I mean, I know we care about each other a lot and stuff."

Sam noticed at how he was trying to dance around saying certain things, namely, marriage, family, and anything else of the matter. After having to worry about so many ghostly things in just the last half year or so, the two had hardly had the time to think about the future as they were just fine living in the now with each other.

Danny sighed at his girlfriend's unchanging face and slid to sit on the ground and against the wall of the alleyway they were in.

After a moment, Sam sat and slid down to sit beside him. There was a big silence before Sam finally spoke.

"I don't believe in true love." _Or at least I didn't see it as something that could be remotely possible, but you make me wonder…_

Danny flinched at his girlfriend's voice and looked over at Sam, though she made no move yet to look back at him.

"I thought it was just something that people tell you early on so that you don't feel like there's no hope. I still kinda feel that way. I don't believe in love at first sight. I know I didn't fall in love with you when I first saw your eyes or your smile. Even if they were nice, there were probably a lot of people in the world with pretty blue eyes and a happy smile on their face. I was somewhat enchanted or maybe intrigued by how willing you were to accept me, given how I was dressed and how I behaved. I thought you were kinda foolish in that respect. I wonder if your mom thought the same thing about your dad…" Sam let out a breath and looked at Danny. "I want to sit here and tell you that we'll live happily ever after and that we'll last, but I'd only be telling you what I was maybe hoping for. We'll just have to keep trying." She grasped Danny's hand softly. "I don't know what you want me to say, but I'm not going to lie to you. I'd never lie like that, about something so important. I also kinda thought of marriage as a trap, mostly for women, but men apply too. Stereotypes go both ways you know?"

Sam slowly leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "You're still my best friend. I wanted to be your friend after you let me join you and Tucker." She paused. "The point I'm dancing around here is that, I want to be around you. I want to stay here, by your side. Whatever that means in the long term, we'll have to decide together and nothing anyone says or does should make the smallest bit of difference in those decisions. Let people play their games if they want."

_I've seen every part of you and nothing anyone says could alter my perception of you._

Eventually she felt Danny's other hand wrap around their joined ones and his head lean more heavily into her scalp. His right cheek was somewhat mushed into her hair. "Thank you."

Her head turned up to look at him and he met her with a gentle kiss. After they parted, he gave her a smile that was somewhat cheeky. "Do you want to go for a ride, see where the future takes us?"

"Why not?" Sam asked, watching as Danny transformed and scooped her up into his arms. He took to the sky, going invisible so that they could travel in peace.

Sam knew that Danny would always need someone to guide him and assure him. He simply cared to much about the welfare of others at his core, even before becoming half-ghost. She didn't mind being there to help share that burden for him, partly because she'd somewhat caused it and partly because he was her friend.

She guessed the best thing about the two of them was that they understood each others fears and preferences. He knew she had a strong will and that she sometimes got too carried away and she knew that he could get irritable when stressed or worried and that he sometimes got frustrated and wanted to be appreciated.

And though she had told him she didn't believe in true love, Sam couldn't really figure out when it was that she had started to question her own beliefs. Being around Danny and Tucker had changed her in a lot of ways, perhaps she wasn't' as pessimistic as she used to think and maybe she didn't see kindness as being naive anymore. She hoped that she'd done something similar for him in that regard, maybe that he didn't have to fit into any mold someone tried to make for him, though she couldn't be sure unless she asked.

Sam would hate to admit she'd grown soft or lax about any of her opinions she'd harbored closely for so long, especially up until she met Danny and Tucker, but if she had the choice of who was the one she'd let soften her heart, it would Danny Fenton.

_I think being around someone like you, someone who's my friend, someone who knows me so well, someone whom I love, above all things, sets me free._

zzz

**Crossroads Park University. 3:55 PM.**

She wasn't exactly sure what she had expected. She'd theorized many different reactions from people, ranging from avoidance and fear to stalking and extreme curiosity, but the truth was not quite any of those extremes. Everything was oddly normal. Yeah, she did get a few people who'd ask questions, but everyone else kinda didn't bother her. She rationalized it was either because no one had noticed her yet or because people just didn't even want to get involved in either way, positive or negative.

"Jazzy, you keep looking at everyone like you're expecting them to suddenly assault you."

Jazz blinked and looked over at her one friend she had made while at college.

"That and you're crushing your poor textbooks. I mean I sometimes wish I could put mine in a trash compactor but seeing as they cost a small fortune, I restrain myself."

Kaitlyn was a dirty blonde haired young woman with emerald green eyes. Her hair was about medium length, not long like Jazz's was. She often wore a white t-shirt with different pastel colored long-sleeved thin cardigans over it along with jeans or in the current case, shorts, because of the good weather. She was a good friend to Jazz and was able to listen to her psycho-babble as Danny called it as well as have deep moral discussions without trouble. At the same time, she could be silly and tended to help push Jazz out of her books to go see a movie or have dinner out.

So far Kaitlyn had only asked some questions about Danny and everything else, just apparently so she could be on the same page. After that, the girl had mostly been seemingly untroubled by the whole thing. She actually understood why Jazz would keep something like that secret. Jazz was just thankful that her friend was still her friend and was even trying to distract her from the stress she'd been under.

"I know. I know. I just can't pretend like there isn't a possibility they could suddenly change their approach."

"Lordy, you're wound tighter than a spring…" Kaitlyn sighed.

"I'm just prepared."

"You can't prepare for life. It just kinda happens." Kaitlyn looked down a bit to lock eyes with Jazz. "Exhibit A, your brother becoming a half-ghost. Can you look your friend in the eyes and tell me that anyone could've ever predicted something that crazy?"

Jazz grunted in annoyance. "I hate it when you're right."

"Nah, you just hate it when you're wrong. That's okay though. I'll be the one to break you from that habit." Kaitlyn chuckled softly to herself when she heard Jazz sigh in exasperation. The girl decided to take her friend off guard. "Alright… so this David guy, what's he like? Does he have a nice ass or have you checked yet?"

Jazz's eyes immediately bugged out of her head and she spluttered. Kaitlyn couldn't help but grin almost maniacally at the scene. _Hook, line and sinker._ "How do you know about him!?"

"I went through your phone."

"What!?"

"Nothing is sacred in bestfriendhood, chica."

Jazz huffed and folded her arms. "He's my family's lawyer. I'm staying in contact with him in case something comes up that we need his help for."

"Mmm Hmm. I'll pretend I buy that."

"Kaitlyn, seriously? For all you know he's like a fifty year old lawyer!"

"I watch the news, child. I saw him sitting next to your sibs. I've got to say, he's kinda book-smart like you but has a bit of athleticism to him. I can totally see it."

Jazz groaned and tried to mush her face into her books. "Stop."

Kaitlyn opened her mouth to say something but was halted when her eyes locked onto something else. Jazz looked up as she heard a new voice.

"Mrs. Fenton? Can I talk with you in private?"

Jazz observed as one of her favorite psyche teachers, Dr. Hall, held the door to her office open and looked at them both with something close to unease. Though Jazz couldn't necessarily say where the unease came from.

"Oh uh sure, Doctor Hall."

Kaitlyn smiled at Jazz with a bit of empathy mixed with support. "I'll talk to you back at the apartment later."

"Okay, see ya." Jazz watched her friend disappear down the hallway before she turned to face Dr. Hall and follow the woman inside her office.

After a few moments of getting seated and sitting in absolute silence, Dr. Hall finally let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure how to go about this…"

Jazz felt one of her brows lift against her will. "Yes, Doctor?"

"You can call me Lucy if you like, Jazz." Lucy sighed and leaned back in her chair. She then chuckled a bit darkly. "I wonder if it's even considered patient confidentiality in the case of a dead man…"

Jazz furrowed her brows, still at a loss as to what this was about.

"I had several sessions with Mr. Masters right after he'd gained his fortune, or well, stolen it."

Jazz felt her eyebrows rise a bit in surprise. She then shook her hands in front of her face before pinching the bridge of her nose. "So let me get this straight. You actually counseled Vlad Masters after his accident?" Jazz looked back at her professor fully and seemed to be intrigued.

Lucy let out a breath. "Yes. I had concluded that he was Narcissistic, but he became angry. He threatened to ruin me and then stormed out." She looked back up at Jazz. "I had no idea…"

Jazz felt sympathy surge through her. It her attempts to become a psychologist, Jazz knew very well the kind of fear that was there regarding misdiagnosis or being unable to help someone. "Professor, it's not your fault. There's no way you could've known. The idea that someone could be both alive and dead at the same time allowed a young teen to hide his own secret from the government, from Amity, and from his own parents and classmates for nearly four years. We weren't taught about ghosts before my parents came along and really we've only just started to learn the truth behind ghosts because of my brother. My parents are learning things about their world and culture everyday."

Lucy nodded slowly. "They have their own psychological spectrum, don't they?"

"Yes. It is different from ours, but not that different." Jazz leaned back in the chair she was sitting in.

Lucy hummed. "Do you have any theories about Vlad?" Jazz looked up at Lucy in surprise before the woman continued. "I don't know why, maybe it's only because the new developments as of late, but I feel as though that particular case was one I regretted the most. I've had several people leave without asking about further treatment or aid, some I even knew probably would be alright perhaps, others not so much, but him… I just knew something was wrong. I do know that gut feelings have no scientific basis-"

Jazz almost couldn't help but smile. Kaitlyn had always told her the reason why Dr. Lucy was Jazz's favorite professor was because she went into fits of babbling like Jazz did.

"Professor?" Jazz asked, halting the woman temporarily. "What's really bothering you?"

Lucy let out a sigh. "I suppose most importantly, I feel like learning about the psychology of death and ghost sentience is going to be the next big step in the psychological community. I want to understand how they think and feel both full ghosts and even how half-ghosts are effected by their ghostly other half." She toyed a bit with a pencil that swirled within a cup. "I want to better understand why a Narcissistic man, who appeared to have an outlet for his negative emotions in his job as a businessman, would feel the need to destroy all of that. I want to know how greatly this other half of his altered his mental state over the years."

Jazz furrowed her brows a bit. If her professor was just trying to further her studies and get into the big times by being the first to publish a paper or research on the hot topic, then she wasn't sure she should completely trust the woman.

"I'm not sure, professor. I haven't interacted with Vlad's full self as much as my brother has." Jazz had almost let herself accidentally slip into talking about how she theorized Vlad hadn't let many people near him at all, but stopped herself.

Lucy let out a breath. "I suppose. Either way, if you ever need any assistance with your studies, then let me know if you want."

Jazz stood up. "I'll think about it. Thank you, professor."

Lucy gave a half-hearted smile, though she tried to appear professional as always. "No problem, dear."

Jazz made her way towards the door and closed it behind her when she exited. She paused before completely leaving when she thought she heard Lucy talking to herself.

"Was it just another step?"

Jazz pulled away from the door, unsure what the woman was talking about. She shook her head and walked off, heading in the direction of her and Kaitlyn's apartment.

zzz

"So she was kinda creeping and asking about Vlad?"

"I wouldn't say that… She was just curious and I'm a little suspicious." Jazz sighed as she dropped her book bag and collapsed on her bed. Kaitlyn was laying there too and reached over to pat the other girl's scalp.

"It'll be alright little one."

"Can you take anything completely seriously?" Jazz asked with a grumble.

"Not often. It's a charming feature of mine."

Jazz moaned slightly. Before anything more could be said, Jazz's cellphone rang. The girl looked over and saw her phone about to vibrate off her bedside table. She grabbed it and flipped it open to answer. "Hello?"

"Jazz?"

Jazz almost sat bolt upright, nearly nailing Kaitlyn in the jaw when her friend had tried to peak and see who was calling. "David?"

"Oops, looks like Price Charming has called. I'll let myself out," Kaitlyn teased, dodging a flung arm in her direction. She trotted over to the kitchen that separated their two halves of the apartment before straying towards the fridge.

"Who's that?"

Jazz laughed a bit nervously. "Just my roommate."

"Oh. Anyways I've been looking at some things you were concerned about, regarding Danny's visit to the White House and those officials that had visited recently."

"Oh yeah?" Jazz felt her face turn more serious. David then went through a long list of different legal things regarding government and international laws. Ultimately, he offered to help tell Danny about most if not all of the research he had done, so that the younger man would be prepared when talking with President.

"I'm thinking that option is the one that will be less complex and fit most easily into international law. When do you think I should talk to your brother?" David asked.

Jazz hummed, trying to organize everything in her mind. "It's another couple weeks until the scheduled date. So maybe this coming weekend would be good. I can drive home for the first session stay here the second weekend and then travel home for the actual trip to D.C."

"Seems reasonable. I'll pencil it in."

"Thanks again, David. You've been a literal life saver."

"No worries. I intend to see your case as far as need be and the rest of my services will be mostly free of charge."

"No! We can't let you do that."

"Jazz, do you know how many calls my office has been getting since your brother's trial?"

"Oh."

"That and really, I couldn't with good conscious let you and your family go adrift after the trial or use your current need against you to get your money."

Jazz relaxed a bit. "Thanks, David."

"You're quite welcome."

Jazz chuckled a bit and rolled her eyes. "This is great. I mean, Lord knows we need a lawyer in the family…" Her eyes widened at the silence at the other end. "I MEAN FOR! FOR our family!"

David on the other end, living in Indianapolis, felt the slightest flutter in his chest from her mistake. He chuckled a bit, perhaps seeing Jazz in a different light now. "I'm happy to do it. I'll be in touch, Jazz. Tell your family I said Hi."

"Yeah. Bye."

The line then went dead and Jazz smacked her forehead. "Danny was right. I am a spas."

"OH MY GOD! 'A LAYWER IN THE FAMILY!?' JAZZ I LOVE YOU!" Jazz groaned and looked over at her friend, who was appearing to have some type of laughing seizure on the floor. "THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!"

"It was a small word slip."

"Maybe perhaps a Freudian slip?"

"Stop."

"Nope." Kaitlyn finally pulled herself from the ground and walked over, holding several letters in her hand. She stopped in front of Jazz's bed and shifted through them before plucking one from the stack and handing it to Jazz. "Here, it's for you."

Jazz smiled and grabbed the letter. She eyed all the others in Kaitlyn's hands and saw the sad look on her friend's face. "Not even one?"

"Not even one. I guess my story isn't as interesting as I hoped it was."

"You know countless famous series were declined by publishers and editors before they became classics or world renowned, right?"

"I know, but it certainly doesn't feel promising when you're holding seven declination letters."

Jazz let out a sigh. "You'll get there. I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, I still got a few others I'm waiting on. So there's hope still."

Jazz nodded happily at her friend's returning optimism and opened her own letter. After a moment, the student was trembling slightly and Kaitlyn looked over her shoulder to read. The other girl's eyes widened before a smile split her face. "Jazz… That's wonderful! Oh my God, girl!"

Jazz blinked and looked up at her friend. "This is some sick prank isn't it?"

"I would not do something that cruel."

Jazz stared at the letter before her, that clearly read that the famous Psychological Study journal, had accepted her volume on Ghost Envy and was eagerly awaiting the second volume. Her work had been approved and was set to be published.

"Jazz?"

"I've got to start working more on the second volume and then there's the hope that my study on Ghost Obsessions will be accepted. I've got to get to work!" Jazz yelped and practically flew from her bed and over to her desk space, where piles of books and pages of her own research and data were spread about crazily.

Kaitlyn laughed and turned to head towards the kitchen again. "I guess I'll have to make sure she eats at the very least."

zzz

**FentonWorks. 4:35 PM.**

Danny saw his home in the distance as he grew closer. Sam had already headed home and he was in a better mood after their talk. They'd even discussed taking the time to go on a date sometime soon. Danny briefly wondered how Tucker and Valerie's relationship was doing, after the whole drama with Damon and Valerie's suit. His thoughts were nixed when he saw a couple of reporters in front of his house. Cujo was sitting on the stoop and Danny saw the puppy's ears perk up. Hopefully, Cujo wouldn't attack the reporters if they moved towards Danny. The slightly larger Cujo, which was something Danny still hadn't figured out, yapped and rushed down the steps, stumbling on the last one before running to jump into Danny's arms.

"Hey, buddy! Where you waiting for me?"

"Bark! Bark!" Danny was rewarded for his question with a wet kiss.

"Mr. Fenton!" Danny glanced up to see a few regional news stations move towards him.

"Guys, wait. Don't do this while Cujo's near."

The reporters surprisingly listened. One asked the obvious question. "Why?"

"He's really protective and he might think you're attacking me. Your questions will be answered eventually."

The reporters looked hesitant, but one last look at Cujo's unblinking red eyes that were locked onto them and studying them, finally caused them to relent.

"Come on, let's pack up, everyone. We aren't getting anything today."

Danny watched as they moved away. He glanced down and scratched between Cujo's ears. "Love you, buddy." Cujo looked back at him and whined before resting his head on Danny's shoulder. It was almost like a dream come true in some ways. Having a four-legged best friend had always been one of Danny's great childhood desires and as a bonus, he didn't require nearly as much maintenance other than training. Danny walked up the stairs to the front door and slipped inside after unlocking it with his house key. "I'm home!"

"Danny!"

Danny placed Cujo on the ground, watching as he ran towards the sofa and leapt up onto it to have a trance rest. He saw his mother move towards him with a beaming smile plastered on her face. "Okay, what's up? You look like you found the cure to cancer or how to obtain world peace."

Maddie gave Danny a slightly unimpressed smirk before opening her mouth to speak. "I just got a call from Jazz. Not only is David being very helpful and providing his services for free for this point on, but guess what?"

Danny felt a smile creep onto his face at the news about David before he was surprised by his mother playing the guessing game. "What?"

"Jazz's volume on Ghost Envy was accepted by the Psychology Study Journal. They said they'd publish it!"

Danny felt his mouth drop open in slight shock before a large smile made its way onto his face. "She deserves it. That's great! I guess her book worming paid off, huh?"

"Danny…"

"Ah come on, I'm kidding."

Maddie smiled before another thought came to her. "By the way, I got a call from-"

The two paused when they heard the phone ring. "I'll get it!" Jack bellowed. They heard him pick up the phone and then let out a greeting they weren't expecting. "Pops?"

"Wait, Grandpa Morton?" Danny asked.

Maddie looked at her son. "We've been getting calls from family, as you can imagine. Alicia called earlier when we were waiting for your trial as did my parents, Jack's brother Benjamin called a few days ago and now apparently your Grandpa Morton. We're going to be having some company soon. I think they're mostly concerned but also wanting answers I guess. I'm not sure what to tell them to be honest."

Danny sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "Are Uncle Benji's wife and kids coming too?"

"Probably. You haven't seen them in years…" Maddie trailed off. She then gave a bit of a half-smile. "We have to be careful what we say since we have to wait until the meeting at the White House to set some things straight. I hope everyone understands if we have to be vague."

"Uncle Benji might get impatient."

Maddie merely nodded as Jack said goodbye to his father and put down the phone. He turned to them both. "Looks like everyone's coming." The family was interrupted again by the phone ringing. Jack picked it up and listened. Slowly, Maddie and Jack saw the man's face contort into one of quiet anger. "Well frankly, I'm going to have to ask you to shove it. Have a good day." Jack then calmly snapped the phone back into it's receiver.

"Who was that, honey?"

Jack scowled slightly. "No one important." He looked into his son's questioning eyes and his face softened. "I want you and Danielle to be safe out there, Danno. There's some _real_ kooks out there."

Danny immediately had an idea of what had happened. "Yeah. I know dad. We will."

Jack nodded absentmindedly before a smile split his face. "Hey son, you want to help me with a new invention? Me and your mother recently started studying the material that makes up your jumpsuit and the clothing ghosts seem to wear. At first we thought it was like a second skin, but we nixed that idea after some field study. Not only do half-ghosts seem to use it like actual clothing, but full ghosts do too. Though it is also obvious that it's not normal clothing."

Danny blinked before putting a hand to his chin. "I never really thought about that, but you're right. Okay, let's go."

Maddie smiled as she watched her two men walk down into the lab together. She let out a breath before moving towards the kitchen. She reached into the cupboard to get a bowl to start dinner, when she heard her youngest clear her throat.

"Hey, mom?"

Maddie turned and put the bowl down with one arm at the same time. "Yes, Ellie?"

Danielle smiled a bit, but wasn't able to hide her uncertainty. She sat down at the dinning table with a small frown. "I…"

Maddie sat down with her. "What's wrong, dear?"

"Can you tell me… about boyfriends?" Maddie watched as Danielle's face lit up like a firecracker due to embarrassment. "I know Danny and Sam are boyfriend and girlfriend and I think I know what that means, but…"

Maddie hummed slightly. "Can we start with you telling me what you know?"

Danielle blinked then flushed a little again before beginning to speak. "I know about my body and how it works. I figured that out on my own and then Sam and Jazz helped me with it once before my second run in with Vlad." She twisted her mouth a bit. "I'm not completely sure I know much about boys… which is ironic since I was supposed to be one." Dani snorted. "I also don't know much about the actual relationship part…"

Maddie smiled slightly as she listened. "Well I'm going to take a guess that this was brought on my Ash, wasn't it?"

Dani spluttered slightly. "No! I mean, why him!? I don't like him at all!" Dani cried out, her voice getting faster and higher as she went. Maddie merely rose a brow and watched as Dani deflated. "Okay… maybe."

Maddie chuckled a bit and patted her daughter's hand. "Let's go to the Ops center and have a talk. It's better since it'll be less likely we'll be interrupted by the boys."

Dani smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thanks, mom."

zzz

**Ghost Zone. Dead Sea: Arctic Zone. 4:01 PM.**

They'd been going at it for nearly an hour. In that time, Dan had been nicked a few times by the berserker's axe blade and green ectoplasm was now dripping from lacerations down his front and right arm.

"Is that it then? You ready to turn tail yet?" Brynjar hissed. The red aura was still clinging to his form and his eyes still glowed a dark red as well. The Berserker himself had burn marks on his left arm and a couple claw marks near his upper chest and base of his neck.

Dan scoffed. "You saying that, makes me wonder if you're starting to get tired yourself, Berserker." Dan narrowed his eyes as the Berserker lifted his axe and swung it. A blast of ice and wind raced close to the ground, causing the ice there to crack. Dan teleported away from the blast at the last second and shot towards his opponent for another round of brutal fighting.

"Yer just another rabid beast I aim to put down!" Brynjar screamed and swung with his shield, striking Dan in the head.

A high-pitched buzzing echoed through his head because of the molecules in his ectoplasmic body were vibrating from the blow.

_Monster!_

_Look at his skin!_

_Hades!_

_I knew he was no good!_

_It's time to put you down for good, Ghost boy._

_PRoTect thEM pROteCT ThEm ProtECT… _**_ME._**

White corneas started turning black as ink, irises began to shrink and glow a more sinister red rather than crimson, cracks started to open in the skin closest to his scalp and mane of fire. Dan roared before his fist snapped the Berserker's shield clean in half. Another wild swing of his clawed hand resulted in a gash right through the viking's chin and up through an eye-socket. Dan then took a breath and let out a Ghostly Wail.

Brynjar felt like he was experiencing a second death. Fear raced through his core; he could almost feel his very atoms being striped from his core's field of influence. He heard the ice crack loud enough to sound like thunder and it seemed the Zone itself shuttered at the very sound of this Phantom's attack. Then it was over and Brynjar couldn't help but think that yet again he wasn't given a good death. He lay motionless on the ground and struggled only briefly before he was being tossed through a portal. Brynjar laid on the purplish grass, feeling his core ache and whine in stress.

"Brynjar the Berserker, as promised."

Walker stood right next to the crater in the wall that had been caused by Dan tossing Brynjar through the portal and into the prison courtyard's wall. The warden was both surprised by the sudden entrance and pissed because of the damage once again he'd have to have his guards repair. "I can see that, Dark Phantom."

Dan lifted a brow as the cracks and black in his eyes began to recede. "Dark Phantom?"

"You aren't our Phantom and you obviously have a different way of doing things," Walker insisted. "I have to categorize you somehow…"

Dan snorted and turned slightly, though never letting his eyes leave Walker. "I don't care what you call me." He narrowed his eyes. "I just want my money."

Walker growled slightly before walking forward and reaching into his breast pocket. Several other guards worked to restrain the still somewhat dazed Brynjar. Before long, Dan had received one point three million dollars in a round wad. He honestly had no clue what he would do with it though; it wasn't like he was willing or ready to go into the human world to spend it, not to mention there was nothing he cared to really spend it on. He slipped the money into his jumpsuit near his neck; he'd think about it later. Currently, he was more excited about the spike in power he'd regained. He'd actually used his Wail without passing out. "I'll be back again for another poster. I'll expect a welcome party fit for a king."

Walker scowled as Dan turned to fly away. Within moments, Dan was just a speck in the green sky.

Deep in the prison, inside of a solitary confinement cell, Brynjar sat cross-legged on the floor. He looked at his hands in the dim light his own glowing eyes provided, seeing as ghost prison didn't require his type of cell to let light in or allow him time out to stretch his legs or eat. Brynjar hummed. "Next I escape, I'll bea comin' fer you, Dark Phantom. You will be able to provide me with an honorable death like no other." He closed his eyes then and replayed the haunting sounds of that Ghostly Wail over and over in his mind.

zzz

**East Dackot. Neighboring City. 7:30 PM. **

It was all his fault. He should've known from the start that that freak son of those ghost hunting wackos was a strange thing like a half-ghost.

And because of him and ultimately his ghost hunting parents too, he'd been reduced to this. How could his parents have known that Vlad Masters was also a half-ghost and had done illegal acts? Apparently no one cared, seeing as they were loosing all their investment money from Vlad's fall and anything they had left over was being used for lawyer fees. Apparently a lot of people were suffering now that Vlad's business practices had been laid bare for the world to see them as they truly were.

Nicolaas Bakker paced in his attic at a rapid clip. The things that incensed him the most though was how that freak of nature, Daniel, had managed to hypnotize or lure Samantha and her family into his good graces. He was simply seeing red from even thinking about it.

He halted abruptly in his pacing when his foot struck something small, hollow, and wooden. He glanced down and saw a strange mask. It was shaped like a cat's face and had large almond eye holes and a menacing looking grin. He remembered that his once butler had once warned him about the old thing.

_"It's some strange item that's been in your family for generations upon generations, I daresay it's some dark ritualistic item. Do be careful with that… thing… master."_

Then he heard the voices again. The very whispers that had attracted him to his attic the last few days in a row.

_It's time to play a game. To be the puppetmaster rather than the dusty humble puppet… a mere dream or is it…_

He had no clue what it was talking about.

_Play… play… play…_

Nicolaas felt a shiver run up his spine and he was finally able to run away and down his attic stairs. It bothered him that it was getting harder and harder to run each time.

After it was left alone, the mask's eyes glowed a faint green and a faint light grey silhouette of some human form faded into view near the mask, wearing a matching big toothy white smile.

* * *

**So there's the second chapter I wrote out. Again, I hope you all enjoyed it. I hope I also did a good job with the timing and writing of Danny and Sam's talk. I rewrote that talk several times, trying to get it right. I tried to make it not too terribly cliché or anything.**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**Above the Winter Moonlight: Just who is that strange red-eyed shadowy figure? Is it Malus? Or is it something completely different?**

**NoSignal: It was something different :)**

**Nameless Panda: If there are Greek and Egyptian realms, is there also a Roman one? And can you tell me some more about the different types of ghosts? Like wraiths, you say they almost mindlessly guard places or items, but can they actually think/do things other than that? You also said they were often cursed, what exactly do you mean by that? I may or may not be inspired to create an oc. **

**NoSignal: Yep probably somewhere. You'll have to wait and find out though :) Sure. I'll answer the questions you listed here in your review. They can think sometimes, mostly depends on how powerful they are. Often times they guard things or haunt people directly, depending on how they died. They are much more like shades or ghosts as we know them in real life. Sometimes they're mostly residual. They can be freed if someone lifts the curse on them (which means could mean many different things, but sometimes it's just resolving their obsession for them. While a normal ghost would work to follow their obsession on their own, wraiths can't do it by themselves)... hmm... Pariah's army sure seems mindless and angry, huh? Yeah you can make an oc if you like. :)**

**Gea5s: You got brynjar from olaf the beserker ffom league of legends, didnt you?**

**NoSignal: Yep you caught me. I changed a few details, but yeah. :P My cousin used to play that game.**

**Guest: Omfg. Vlad is hunt by Batman!(?**

**NoSignal: Nope, not in this story ;)**

**Great: You are making me really curious about the Hazes, I wonder how many colors surround the Green haze.**

**NoSignal: They will be touched on in this story, but if you want to hear more about those, then they will probably be mentioned more in any Danny Phantom x DC comics crossovers I do. You'll see why later.**

**bloody dragon fang: Hey a thought hit me pretty hard, the idea is what if Clockwork used his powers and switch the reality gauntlet with a fake. That way Danny remembers destroying it but in truth Clockwork has the real one to help battle Malus, the issue is that it may need to be modified like maybe have it work with certain ghost cores (like it will work for Danny, Dani &amp; Clockwork). Also on a low side note why note have that Freakshow manages to get a hold of a large portion of ectoplasm, he then does something that makes him 100% ghost.**

**NoSignal: I think it's best that the Reality Gaunlet stay destroyed. HOWEVER! :) You will eventually get to hear the history for why it was created and how. Then eventually you will see why it's best it stays gone. I intend to do something with Freakshow, but it might not be what anyone expects. He's still in jail at the moment and jail sentences like his can last a long time. As for the 100% ghost part, I feel like Freakshow is special in that he's a human villain. I think it would take away of bit of his character if he became a ghost. Great ideas though!**

**Ariastella: I think a cute nickname for Jack to give Dani would be "Ellie-bell."**

**NoSignal: Precious! I might do that.**

**mitchn: Please include more battles with Danny using fire, ice, and lightening. Can you also include a scene where is attacked by a mob of fan girls?**

**NoSignal: I will definitely try to do that. I want to make sure nothing gets left behind and becomes irrelevant in the story. I'll see what I can do about that mob of fangirls ;)**

**FanficFan920: My only nitpick is that Danny and Sam's and Tucker and Val's relationships have taken a bit of a backseat.**

**NoSignal: I'm going to try and fix that! :) Thanks for your kind words!**

**gwencarson126: When is Malus and the Sword of Souls going to come into play?**

**NoSignal: It'll still be a little while. Don't worry though, it will come eventually!**

* * *

**NoSignal to All: I just wanted to thank you all so much for your kind words, support, and understanding for my Hiatus. I was able to get through the semester with greater ease because of your kindness. Thank you all so so much. And welcome to all the new people that have found this story. I'm so glad I can entertain.**

**~NoSignal**


	31. Nemesis and Providence

**Hey everyone. I managed to get out of a bit of writer's block I had had and wrote a chapter. I hope you'll enjoy it!**

**In other news, I'm going to be slowly updating some of the earlier chapters of Pondus Omnium. They won't be major changes, just mostly grammar, fixing inconsistencies, some rewording to avoid some minor clichés, etc.** **I've already updated chapter one and two.** **My ability as a writer has improved a bit since I started this story and I want to try and keep this story as consistent as I can.**

**From now on I'm also keeping an Update Status list on my profile. So if you ever what to know the state of affairs, check out the very top of my profile.**

**Also I'm starting to get the feeling this will be a long story. (At least regarding word count). Hope that doesn't turn too many people off.**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts, past speech, or distant speaking unless indicated otherwise_

* * *

_"No single decision you ever made has led in a straight line to where you find yourself now..." ~ Deepak Chopra, The Book of Secrets: Unlocking the Hidden Dimensions of Your Life_

zzz

Courtroom. 5:_33 PM._

Two hours after the tr_ial_ had come to a close, the jury and the Congressmen filed back into the courtroom. They all stood at attention and the Senator of Indiana, _sym_bolically enough, held the piece of paper from which he would read off their _verdict._

"Has the _jury_ come to an agreement?" Kaufman asked and an audible creek filled the air as everyone leaned on the edges of their seats.

_"We have, you're honor," the Senator stated before glancing down to read word for word._ After Kaufman asked Daniel and Danielle to _rise during the reading of the verdicts, the senator spoke, "We the jury on the first count of theft, by Daniel Fenton, find the defendant, guilty."_

The last word, took his breath away.

"On the _second count of kidnapping_, we find the defendant, _guilty_."

His world started to crash down around him.

"On the third count of assault, _guilty_."

Valerie's mouth was hung open in disbelief and horror.

_"Regarding the citizenship claims of Daniel and Danielle Fenton, we the jury have concluded that their claims shall be denied."_

He heard Jazz let out a choked sob.

_"And in accordance with the Anti-Ecto Acts, they shall be taken into government custody."_

_He was screaming and crying and thrashing, trying to get away from the pain and the sharp things and the soulless eyes and why WHY WHY!? He'd done everything for them. He didn't deserve this. Red and green and more green and bones, fat, flesh- Make it stop make it stop!_

_"Ectoplasm works as another immune system, makes bones and flesh more flexible, enhances the senses, increases one's strength… We could possibly double a human's life-span. We could unlock immortality."_

_Then there was a body and a ghost and his skin was blue and cracked and you could see inside the gapping cavity they had left forever imprinted on a phantom. They had done that. It was their sick work. His eyes were red and everything was red on the body and he stared at it and then he smiled. Oh he smiled and it wasn't happy, it wasn't sad, it wasn't from comfort or sorrow or forgiveness. It was born of broken and tortured madness. He threw back his head and let out some strangled sound that was a mix of a laugh and a primal-like cry, which echoed and sent a cold shock through his body._

_They broke him. They destroyed his best friend…_

ooo

**Foley Residence. 9:00 AM.**

His eyes cracked open slowly, but as soon as he was aware again, his eyes looked around cautiously and somewhat frantically. In one quick movement, Tucker lunged for his bedside table, sliding halfway out of his bed at the same time that he managed to grab his phone.

He tumbled to the floor, dragging his blankets with him and even causing his lamp to fall onto his back. Without even bothering to untangle the mess he was in, Tucker typed a number into his phone and let it ring.

_"Tucker? Why are you calling so early?"_

He listened to the sound of his girlfriend's voice and let out a sigh before speaking. "Danny won his trial, right? He's at home, isn't he?" He waited until Valerie spoke again.

_"Yes…"_

He sighed in pure relief, finally allowing himself to trust his senses and truly believe it had just been a terrible nightmare.

_"Did you have a nightmare or something?"_ She asked, a hint of emotion seeping into her voice. It filled Tucker with a warm feeling that he'd been craving for years. He nodded out of habit before giving her his answer verbally.

"Yeah. I would've called Danny just to hear his voice, but I… I didn't want to worry him. He's admitted to me and Sam before about having nightmares and you've even felt some of those emotions when we were camping. We have told him that we've had bad dreams before, but I just don't want remind him of that right now."

_"I understand."_

Tucker looked over at his calendar and a smile split his face when he realized it was Saturday. "All right, well… Thanks, Val. I've got to go do something. I'll meet up with you guys later."

_"Oh okay. We're still meeting at the arcade, right?"_

"Yeah, that's what Sam and Danny said. Dani's going out with Ash and Jace somewhere… I think Danny said they were going to the park to play frisbee."

_"Okay, see you then."_

Tucker smiled as the line went dead. He then let out a relieved sigh to release the pint up tension he'd felt. He wondered sometimes if Danny knew how much he meant to his friends and family. The techno-geek rose, being careful to gently roll the lamp off his back. He fixed up his room a bit before heading to the bathroom to get dressed and ready for the day.

**FentonWorks. 9:27 AM.**

"So, you think we should share the Eidolon penname?" Danny asked as he shoved his foot into one of his converses, shuffling it to get it to fit right.

Danielle nodded. She was already dressed for the day, actually wearing a cute skirt with leggings for once; she'd still kept her sweatshirt and beanie though, just to keep a bit of her own flare. "Just think about it! If we really do want to keep this a secret at the very least, then it would be harder to figure out where the sculptures are coming from." As Dani finished speaking, she swirled her hand, slowly forming a visage of Cujo in his larger form. Her sculptures tended to look more like cut crystal instead of smooth glass, both because she was still learning about her ice powers and also because she liked the aesthetic more.

Danny leaned up after finishing with his shoes and gave her a smile. "Actually, I think you're right. Great idea, Ellie."

Dani grinned happily. "Of course, it was a good idea! I'm full of good ideas!"

_Knock knock._

"Oh that must be Ash and Jace!" Dani cried out and ran to the door. Danny smiled, before realization smacked him in the face.

"Wait! Dani don't!"

"Guys-Oh nO!" Dani yelped and slammed the door again before bolting it.

"Fans?"

"Fans."

Danny grumbled. "I was wondering about when more of them would show up. Even during the Freakshow thing they were still there, just a bit more timid about showing their support since we were wanted."

"What do you think they want?" Dani asked.

Danny smiled at his younger sister's confusion. "Mostly just the same things as some of the kids at school wanted, autographs, photos, and other stuff." Danny rolled his eyes a bit. "It's silly really."

Dani grumbled a bit and poked Danny. "Can I borrow your cellphone? I need to tell Ash and Jace just to go to the park and let me met them there."

"Sure thing."

After a brief call and Danny getting to pocket his phone, both siblings transformed and invisibly flew out of their house towards their destinations.

zzz

**Axion Corporations. 10:23 AM.**

He'd been to Axion before, but it had been about a year ago. It was a field trip when Valerie's suit had been altered and Technus had tried to play match-maker with his best friend and current girlfriend.

Since then, the place had grown, partly because of time and partly because Vlad was still a good business man even if he was the bad guy. Currently it was a little messy because they were still repairing a few of the final holes in the structure that were a result of Undergrowth's last visit.

Tucker rotated as he walked forward and nearly ran into the receptionist's desk. "Oops!" Tucker squeaked and fixed his beret, which had tilted on his head from his stumble. "Sorry." The red-head simply stared at him with her mouth frozen in the middle of chewing what appeared to be gum. Tucker blinked and waved a hand in front of her face. "Uh, hello?"

She flinched and then blushed. "Oh my gosh! I'm sorry! I just… You're friends with the ghost kid, aren't you?"

Tucker let out a sigh. "Yes. Yes I am."

"Do you think he'd sign a picture I have of him?" She asked quietly. Tucker stared at her in slight hesitancy as her big green eyes widened in wonder. He let out a breath.

"Don't bother him at home and don't ask for much if his girlfriend is nearby. It's not that hard. Just treat him like a person…" Tucker trailed off, getting slightly irked by the surprise on the girl's face. Did she not even consider that it could be that easy, that Danny just wanted to be treated with respect?

"Oh, okay… um…"

"I needed to speak with Mr. Damon Gray. I know he might be busy, but I was just trying to find a time he might be free."

"Oh! Let me check." The young adult spun on her chair and reached for a small calendar. A couple moments later, she smiled and looked at Tucker. "You're in luck! Mr. Gray is just about to finish a meeting. He's apparently going to take over the company since Mr. Masters turned out to be a nutcase!"

Tucker nodded. "Where is he then?"

"Fourth floor coming out of meeting room C."

Tucker thanked the girl and walked towards the elevator. After riding up and finding the right room, Tucker waited outside in the hall as the meeting came to a close. He saw Damon walk out and raised his hand to get the man's attention.

"Mr. Gray?"

Damon halted when he saw Tucker. "Oh, hello Tucker." There was an awkward silence that came between the two men before Damon coughed. "How about we go back into one of these conference rooms?"

Tucker nodded quietly as he and Damon walked inside and the older man shut the door. Tucker went to open his mouth, but Damon cut him off by holding up his hand. "Let me speak first." Tucker shut his mouth and nodded. Damon sighed and leaned against the wall before looking up and locking eyes with the techno-geek. "My daughter really cares about you. Before this whole fiasco, she would talk about the fun you two had together, the things she did each day, sometimes she'd talk about something you said or did that she thought was funny or sweet. She's had a couple boyfriends, including Danny for a little bit, but I've never seen her as happy as she's been since she started to hang out with all three of you."

Tucker smiled a bit. "She's a great person-"

"Do you love my daughter? What I mean is, do you care a lot about her?" The question caught Tucker off guard and he fumbled a bit. Tucker took a deep breath and closed his eyes. How much did he care about Valerie? They had been dating for only six months. He thought about her eyes, her smile, how she tolerated his dumb jokes and tried to humor him when he talked about technology. He thought about her bravery and sense of justice. Lastly he thought about how he felt when their hands were conjoined. Even though he wasn't a hugger and full body contact person like Danny was, Tucker had always had a thing about how it felt to hold hands. He'd never really talked much about it with Danny since it was kinda a personal thing, but when he'd imagined what it would be like to finally snatch a girlfriend for his own, he'd always envisioned holding her hands. While Tucker appeared to like attention from the opposite sex and was a healthy young adult male, he'd always hoped for more than a completely physical relationship with someone. He tried to envision the future and what that could hold, something in his heart, or maybe his gut, told him his answer.

"Yes. I love her as a person and as a friend and maybe even more." Tucker glanced up and was surprised to see Damon smiling wistfully at him. "Mr. Gray?"

"You kind of remind me of myself. I was more of an intellectual as well. I played some basketball and I liked to run, but I wasn't a football player or a sports guy." The man looked down and Tucker saw him rub a gold ring on his left ring finger. "Patricia? She was a star on the field. She was a track runner, a basketball player, and smart as a whip. She could beat more than half of the boys on my block in a one-on-one game." A small frown moved onto Damon's face. "I met her when she'd come back from her first deployment. It was a quick but meaningful romance. We got married, Valerie was born, and a few years later she was sent out to another country." He gave a pause. "And she never came back to us."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you, son." Damon swallowed slightly as if he was trying to keep his emotions in check. "Valerie is so much like her mother, it's spooky at times. Especially now that she's getting older and turning into a young woman, there's times she'll walk through a room and I'll almost call her Patricia." He looked up again to give Tucker eye-contact again. "I'm sorry, so very sorry. I blamed Danny and you. I blamed the Fentons too and that was wrong of me. You're all good people and you didn't deserve my scorn." He let out a deep sigh that wavered a bit. "I was just terrified that something would happen to her. That's why I tried to stop her from ghost hunting."

"You wouldn't have been able to stop her. Vlad would've threatened her if she had ever stopped. He was probably happy that she had a grudge on Danny for a while."

"That man." Damon's face immediately turned venomous. "He's the one that put my baby girl in the hospital."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry I didn't check her sooner. I should've known Vlad of all people would have back ups in place. I can't tell you how sorry-"

"Valerie told me you went into the Ghost Zone and talked with Technus to convince him to save my daughter's life. I think you've proven what you're willing to do for my daughter." Damon walked closer and placed a hand on Tucker's shoulder. "I didn't get to say thank you. Thank you."

Tucker smiled and felt his cheeks warm slightly at the heartfelt praise. "It wasn't much of a choice, Mr. Gray. I was going to do what I could."

Damon smiled. "Well. Thank you, regardless." He let go of Tucker's shoulder and nodded. "Now, was that all you needed?"

Tucker gulped slightly. "Well, yeah, for the most part. There was one other thing I wanted to put pass you though."

"Oh? What's that?"

Tucker looked up. "Mr. Gray. I know you might not like this, but Valerie really misses her suit. I was thinking that, maybe, perhaps, on the off chance that you might… help me design a new and clean suit for her, one without the dangerous nanobots?" He received a silent stare for a moment and Tucker felt nervous that he'd ruined all the nice talking they'd done. "It would mean a lot to her, sir."

Damon closed his eyes and blew out a gust of air. "You really think so? Do you know how hard it is to let you're own child put themselves in harms way, Tucker? I'm sure you don't, seeing as you aren't a father." Damon finished before Tucker could respond to the first question. The boy coughed.

"Well no. I do know what it feels like to watch my best friend be stitched up for a gash in his stomach that should kill someone and have dread and frustration in my heart at the fact that I couldn't call an ambulance for him. I've watched things nearly slice my human friends in half or fry them to a crisp. I've seen Danny brake bones and watched Sam and Jazz put them back into place without anesthesia, watched him scream into a pillow instead… I may not yet know what it's like to fear for a child, but what I have experienced has to mean something, right?" Tucker mused, meeting the man's gaze evenly. "There have been times I've wanted to stop them, times I've wanted to ask them if we could just forget it but I knew that they wouldn't listen, that in all reality, we couldn't stop. Honestly, I'm thinking about designing a suit for myself as well and I'm sure Sam would like one. Jazz always has the Peeler."

Damon's gaze softened a bit.

"We have the means now to ask for better equipment instead of borrowing it when the Fentons aren't looking and now, people are somewhat expecting us to be at ghost fights instead of being just part of the crowd. So, please."

Damon slowly nodded. "Okay. I guess you're all set on this."

"We are, sir."

"Very well. I'll start talking with some of our scientists. We'll have to get fittings for those who want them."

"We'll do Valerie first. She kinda has more right than anyone. She is the Red Huntress after all." Tucker smirked slightly and Damon chuckled softly.

"Okay then. When do you think we should tell her?"

"In a couple days. I'll let her know." Tucker made for the door and Damon followed.

"Tucker, wait!" Damon shouted slightly and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder once more.

"Yes sir?"

Damon smiled. "I heard from Valerie once that you were planning on going to the Tech school nearby once you graduate, am I right?"

"Well, yes."

"After high school, what would you say to an internship at the new Axion corporations? We're going to revamp our marketing for consumer friendly ghost protection products and act as a larger site for ghost technology development. It's in the newest agreement when have with the Fentons. We can sell some of the more lay-man's items, while the Fentons have access to the larger facilities and spaces for developing new equipment that may or may not see public use."

Tucker blinked; his eyes were wide and he gapped like a fish. "Really?"

"You have a very bright mind, son. I'm positive you could find a great future here."

Tucker smirked. "Well I am a master of technology. I sound like Technus now."

Damon laughed as they walked out of the door. "So, what do you say? I can give you time to think on it if you like."

Tucker smiled. "You've got yourself a deal, Mr. Gray."

zzz

**Amity Arcade. 11:00 AM.**

"So, what do you guys want to play?" Danny asked, slurping on his slushy a bit. Sam, Tucker, and Valerie were sitting with him at the food station in the arcade. Most of the people there were so focused on their games that not many people were staring or bothering Team Phantom at present. Eventually someone might show up when the info got out that Danny and his friends were there, but for now, they were going to enjoy their time.

"There's a new alien battle station. We could go in pairs," Sam suggested. "You get to fight all of Femalien's army in that one."

"I could definitely handle a shooting game." Valerie smirked.

"Sounds good to me." Danny grinned.

"We could also try to do the four-man Pacman game that's also been installed recently," Tucker offered with a cheeky grin.

"Maybe, but I was kinda wanting to avoid anything ghostly for a bit," Danny replied. The halfa flinched and looked around, mumbling to himself. "Please no jinx, please no jinx." A couple seconds passed and the group relaxed a bit. "Things are quiet still." Danny murmured.

Eventually, the group went back to focusing on having a good time. They headed to the shooter game that Sam had been talking about and took turns. The first two to play were Sam and Tucker, who both did a pretty great job at keeping the aliens at bay. Next were Danny and Valerie, which surprised the other two with a higher score. The trio praised Valerie for her awesome skill at the game and the girl was just happy to find something of a middle ground between video games and something she knew how to do well. Afterwards, the pairs switched and played again, cheering each other on.

After their sixth game as a group, they left the system so that others could play. The four friends walked about side by side as they tried to figure out what they wanted to do next. As they walked near a trashcan, Danny threw his drained slushy away.

"Maybe Pinball?" Tucker suggested.

"Yawn…" Valerie replied.

"We could always-oh." Sam started but then stopped unexpectedly.

"What's wrong?" Danny asked and watched as Sam gestured to a few people standing across from them. The four people had also been walking and had frozen at the same time Team Phantom had.

"Oh… hey Danny, hey guys," Brandon spoke up. The band geek seemed a bit sad and Norman, Lester, and Mikey seemed uncomfortable.

"Hey guys," Danny replied back and then frowned.

There was an awkward silence until Sam finally spoke up, "Okay, I've got to know why you guys are avoiding us? When Danny was in trouble, everyone was ready to fight or at least be at his side. Now you're all giving us weird looks and trying to stay away. Don't you think we don't get enough of that from strangers?"

"Sam." Danny clasped a hand around hers and squeezed. She could tell he wasn't wanting any type of confrontation, but Sam was getting a bit irritated by Brandon and the other's actions.

"Could we sit and talk somewhere?" Norman asked politely. "I can understand why you would be confused. It's not something we're particularly proud of, but we are sorry."

Team Phantom nodded to each other and soon they were sitting near the back of the arcade with the four young men.

"It's not that we don't like Danny…" Mikey started.

"Not at all!" Brandon expressed.

"It's just that we're a bit afraid of backlash from people. I know it sounds cowardly-" Norman began.

"And it is." Sam replied though her face softened when Danny gave her an upset look.

"I don't expect everyone to make a human shield around me." Danny looked at Norman and gave a weak smile and shrugged. "I understand, I guess."

Norman sighed. "We do support you, we just don't know how to feel about the whole thing."

Brandon took over at that point, seeing as he seemed to have the best way with expressing himself compared to the others. "When you transformed in front of us and started fighting Vlad, he were still thinking of you as Danny Fenton. We didn't even get the chance to really think about what we'd witnessed and what that meant about, the past."

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked.

Brandon frowned and wiggled in his seat a bit. "We'd just started to become your friends this year and while we're grateful for your friendship and help, we don't feel like we really know you, Danny."

"Huh?" Danny blinked in slight confusion and shock.

"All this time, Danny Fenton wasn't as we'd envisioned him for three, almost four years. It's not that we don't understand why but we feel like we've been lied to, if that makes any sense. Who is Danny Fenton? We don't know you, Danny, not like we thought. With Sam, Tucker, and even Valerie to some degree, you've been able to be honest with each other from the beginning. We didn't have that."

"Then there was the thing in the Ghost Zone when everyone was reintroducing themselves again and even that was… another lie, to some degree." Norman added. Lester shifted and Mikey pulled at his collar to his polo.

Danny and the others were silent for a moment before Danny finally nodded. "I get it. It's okay."

"So you forgive us?" Mikey asked.

Danny chuckled. "There's nothing to forgive. I should've known that you were all just shell shocked." Danny nodded. "If you want, you don't have to have anything to do with me. This is my guilt free pass for you to not worry about betraying me or anything silly like that. I never wanted people to feel obligated towards me or feel guilty. It's one of the reasons I dreaded anyone finding out my secret. My parents still give me guiltily looks and well… I don't want them to do that either."

Sam, Tucker, and Valerie all raised their brows in surprise and looked at each other. Their guests all took a glance at each other too. Brandon turned and then gave a response. "I don't like making it sound like we'll never talk to you or be your friend." Danny frowned as Brandon continued. "I want to be your friend. I just need to meet you all over again, that's all. I bet a lot of people at school feel the same way."

"Yeah." Mikey piped in.

"Mhm." Lester nodded.

"So maybe we can try again?" Brandon asked, hope ringing in his voice.

"You do realize that we're all being given grief for being Danny's friends, right?" Tucker asked.

Valerie snorted. "Smooth."

"Oops, not that it's a big deal, bro."

Danny smirked at Tucker. "It's fine, well I mean, it's not, but you know."

"Yeah. To be honest, this isn't too different from similar instances in history. If there's anything we can speculate on, it's that things should calm down eventually," Mikey offered.

"Like integration of ghosts or something?" Lester asked.

"Something like that, only it's just Danny and Danielle. I doubt any full ghost children need or would want to go to school," Mikey continued.

"Before we dive too deeply into the philosophical views on having ghost children attend school, which probably wouldn't happen because they need help to let go of their lives and find peace rather than obsesses over sticking around, let's get back to the topic," Sam spoke up.

"Right. Well, that's pretty much it. We're sorry and we'd like to try to get to know all four of you again," Brandon explained.

"Well we did kinda keep to ourselves for the most part…" Valerie murmured, understanding more about why the other boys had felt alienated and confused.

"That would be great," Danny replied.

Norman reached out a hand. "Unfortunately, I need to get home soon. Also, before I go, I wanted to say I was sorry for my behavior in the Zone. I felt simply terrible about what I'd done afterwards and I didn't get the chance to say I was sorry. I was simply becoming frightened and paranoid, but that doesn't excuse my actions."

Danny grasped the boy's outstretched hand and shook, before his other hand reached back to scratch his neck. "It's okay. It's definitely in the past now, besides, you were looking out for everyone. If I had really been a malicious ghost that had taken control of my friends and family and was trying something fishy, you might've saved everyone."

Norman flushed slightly at the surprising praise. "Well I guess so."

After a few more parting words and some causal talk that briefly erupted between the boys about the newest game coming out that they all seemed intrigued about, they eventually parted company and Team Phantom walked out of the arcade. Danny needed to take a trip into the Ghost Zone before getting ready for the date he and Sam had planned together later that night.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 5:47 PM.**

It had been easy so far. Dora had said she would come to the meeting with the President. Danny was pretty sure Frostbite, Pandora, and Tykr'aal would be happy to come as well, but he had yet to visit them. Currently he was landing near the outskirts of the Far Frozen. Almost immediately, one of the friendly yetis saw him and offered to help him find Frostbite.

He led Danny through several caverns before they entered one of the medical rooms. Danny the felt blood rush from his face when he saw who Frostbite was leaning over.

"Great One…"

Danny ignored Frostbite's surprised greeting in favor of staring at Vlad's trembling form. His boils had become less pronounced, but it was hard to tell if that was a sign of improvement or not, given his unconsciousness and furious shivering.

Danny walked up and Frostbite put an hand on Danny's shoulder. "I'm not sure what Clockwork is trying to do, but he wanted me to treat Vladimir. I'm sorry if that displeases you, Great One."

Danny shook his head a bit. "It's fine, Frostbite. This probably means I've been right about some thoughts I've been considering lately, especially if Clockwork went to all this trouble."

"Would you like a moment, Danny?" Frostbite asked quietly, switching to the boy's name, now that a more serious vibe was in the air.

"Yes please."

Frostbite motioned to the other yeti and the two lumbered out of the room and let the metal door slide shut.

Danny sighed and rested both of his hands on the metal slab Vlad was on. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I think the one thing I have to say first is that I'm sorry. I'm _not_ sorry for fighting you, stopping your plans, or getting angry due to your mental games, but I am sorry that things have been hard for you. I'm sorry that you had to learn about your powers on your own, I'm sorry you felt like my parents had abandoned you, and I'm sorry that I didn't know where to begin when trying to make you stop hurting yourself. Because that's what you've been doing since the beginning, hurting yourself." The teen let out a breath of air. "I'm sorry you were alone and I'm sorry I made fun of you for it."

Danny clenched his hands when Vlad let out a low moan. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. Vlad was a nasty person that had tortured and tormented him for several years, yet none could deny the tiny vain of respect that the two had shared between each other for a time before Vlad had started going further downhill. He supposed it was the loss of potential that hurt the most. There was an ache in his core at the idea that Vlad could've been a good uncle, that he could've played with him when he was a young teen, that he could've effectively been another strong male figure in his life, seeing as the rest of his family lived far away and didn't visit often.

He was basically mourning over memories that had never happened. He nearly felt his voice crack when he spoke again. "I'm also sorry I tricked you and pretended like I wanted to be your son that one time. Even if you were definitely in the wrong, that was low, even for me." He paused for a minute. "I always imagined that we would bury the hatchet eventually, you know? I guess it's a little naïve, but I had the hope that you'd see what'd you'd done was wrong." Danny frowned and continued to talk in a softer voice. "Regardless of who's right or wrong, just don't die, okay? You're a royal bastard, but you can't leave it like this, got it?"

Danny slowly pulled away from the table and moved over towards the door. As much as he wanted to stay a bit longer, Danny had to get moving. He still had to talk to Frostbite and the others about coming to Washington D.C.

As he exited the room, he missed the dark shape that peaked out from behind a cabinet of supplies. It seemed to glare at Vlad before sneaking over towards the table. The older man began to shake harder and a terrified murmur came from his mouth.

ooo

He was huddled in the fetal position because it was the only way to hide his eyes from everything around him. The heat was unbearable and the voices had yet to stop.

_GIve UP. gIVE in._

It was constant and never stopped. Things would brush against him, scales, feathers, soft and wet things that made him sick in the stomach, and lights frightening and foreboding would glow and move behind clenched eyelids.

_WhAt Do yoU nEeD VLaD foR?_

_FrUitLOop._

_VilLAiN._

_mONster._

Up until now, things had only brushed passed him or lingered near before leaving. He wasn't sure why they wouldn't simply attack.

_"-but I am sorry that things have been hard for you. I'm sorry that you had to learn about your powers on your own-"_

At the familiar voice, Vlad's head popped up.

_"I'm sorry you were alone and I'm sorry I made fun of you for it."_

Everything in the darkness that had haunted him was frozen like they were part of a picture.

_"I'm also sorry I tricked you and pretended like I wanted to be your son that one time. Even if you were definitely in the wrong, that was low, even for me."_ The voice paused _"I always imagined that we would bury the hatchet eventually, you know? I guess it's a little naïve, but I had the hope that you'd see what'd you'd done was wrong."_ The voice came back softer than it had been, as though it was just above a whisper. _"Regardless of who's right or wrong, just don't die, okay? You're a royal bastard, but you can't leave it like this, got it?"_

Vlad waited for the voice to return, but alas, it did not. "Daniel?" Vlad murmured allowed.

_FruITlooP. FRuiTlOop. FrUitLooP. FRUITLOOP!_ The word was repeated over and over, getting louder and louder. It made Vlad's head pound and he nearly forgot about hearing Daniel's voice.

"STOP! STOP IT!" Vlad cried out. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

_AGaiN?_

Vlad choked, feeling bitter loneliness creep up his back. No matter how hard he tried, no matter if he programed holograms or tried to create clones of his perfect family and friends, he was always denied happiness.

_"Oh, sure, Mr. Masters! But call me Danny. 'Son' is what my dad calls me."_

_"You think my mom made the decision to come back on her own? We're a family."_

Vlad glared at the ground as his hands clutched his head and covered his ears. There was a chance, that perhaps… he had taken things… a bit too far. Maybe he had been wrong about what it meant to have or be apart of a family. Though he still felt bitterness in his heart and refused to believe his fate was completely his fault, he knew he had gone further than he should have. He wasn't sure what his new path would be, but it was not going to be found in this hellhole.

"I'd much rather be alone than entertain company with you any longer!" Vlad roared.

The shadows scattered.

ooo

The shadow, that lingered near the shivering and mumbling Vlad, narrowed it's eyes and became small and hunched over. Slowly, the darkness of its form became lighter and lighter until the shadow vanished entirely. The lights in the room seemed to glow just a tiny bit brighter.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 6:55 PM.**

Danny shot towards Tykr'aal's domain, distracted by his visit with Vlad. He wasn't sure if he would tell anyone that he'd located the man. Vlad would be arrested or practically hunted if he showed up again on Earth. Quite honestly, Danny was still worried about his own standing in the public and had no clue what would happen if Vlad showed his face. This was of course dependent on whether or not he would even survive his illness.

As he contemplated on the morality of Vlad's predicament and what degree of punishment the man really deserved, he jolted harshly when he heard a laser charge. He looked up and saw Skulker staring at him. Though he had been wondering what all of the antagonistic ghosts had been up to since his trial, he wasn't in the mood for a fight after sitting with Vlad.

"What do you want, Skulker? I'm not in the mood."

Skulker didn't reply, except with a laser shot. Danny barely dodged it and then grit his teeth. He was starting to not like this moody and spontaneous Skulker, who saved his life one minute and nearly killed him the next.

Danny readied himself by switching to his hot core. If he shot enough fire at Skulker, then maybe the hunter would flee to keep his suit safe. Danny's eyes dilated slightly and his body tensed for more action when Skulker raised his gun again. The ghost boy stared down the barrel of the gun and waited to see the tiniest hint of a green glow, but nothing came. Skulker's arm wavered a bit and Danny blinked.

"I can't do it. Why can't I do it?"

"What are you talking about?" Danny asked in return, but the hunter turned and fired his jet pack up to the fastest speed before shooting off into the green horizon. Danny frowned, completely puzzled by Skulker's erratic behavior the last couple months or so. He resolved to take a quick look at some of Jazz's research on his ghostly enemies when he finished his trip in the Zone.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. Clockwork's Tower. 7:32 PM.**

Clockwork was of course expecting the Fright Knight to cross his threshold and enter his domain. He also had expected the ghost to walk forward and sink the Soul Shredder into the floor. The ghost of time turned around to get a glimpse of the Spirit of Fear. He was looking quite ragged. His armor was no longer a gleaming black and grey, but dull and aged. His purple flames were very short, creeping close to the base of his neck. The Soul Shedder was a bright cyan and held a white glow about it.

"Adlai would pity you right now."

"Do not bring up the past timekeeper. It will not do me any good now except to put salt in my wounds as it were." Fright Knight kneeled and panted as he clutched at his chest slightly.

"You'd be surprised how much the past can help someone." Clockwork floated closer. "You've realized by now that the deal between you and Vladimir was broken, correct?"

"Yes! What do you think!?"

"Your stolen blade is also breaking free from it's curse. When will you, Breuse?"

Fright Knight quieted and glared up at Clockwork. "Do not use that name."

"Why are you here?"

"I do not wish to be one that runs from my fate, even if it is a poor destiny."

"Hmm… that is indeed the reason as to why Adlai took notice of you at all. You never did fear anything."

Fright Knight continued to stare at Clockwork even at he started to shake uncontrollably at the loss of energy he was suffering.

"Where is Nightmare?"

"Still in the pumpkin."

"I see."

"She will be safe and free once I am gone." A pained look finally came to the ghost's face. "She has suffered for me long enough."

He didn't see the object before it clanked against his helmeted head. In a flash of light, the Spirit of Fear had disappeared into a strange stone that rested in Clockwork's palm. "Curse you! Curse you timekeeper! I was finally going to have my rest!"

As the knight's voice faded, Clockwork pulled the stone closer to his face. "Oh cursed knight, you would've had no rest where you were destined to go. I made a promise to your original master. One last chance to see if your arrogance will forever lead you to your doom."

Clockwork walked over to a small half-pillar and placed the stone there. Immediately, a small ghost-proof forcefield popped up around the dark grey stone. Clockwork glanced over his shoulder and watched as the Soul Shred-, no it was once again the Sword of Souls now, remained imbedded in his floor and pulsed its white light.

The timekeeper let out a sigh. "I need a cup of tea."

zzz

It was a about ten minutes later that Clockwork heard a racket coming from his main viewing room. He rose, a smirk rising onto his face, as he made his way towards the noise with cup of tea in hand. He found Dan grunting and swearing as he tried to pull the sword up from the floor.

"The hell is up with this sword!?" Dan practically screamed.

"You seem a bit more lively than normal."

"I swear to Oblivion! If that was an attempt at some pitiful joke, then so help me."

"I only meant it as a figure out speech. Did you enjoy your outing?" Clockwork asked and sipped another bit of his tea as Dan continued to try and pry the sword out of the ground.

"I asked you a question first!" Dan snarled.

"You can not pull that sword from the ground. It is being reserved for someone. An old friend of mine left an enchantment on it in the case of his end and now, years later, it can finally be put to use. You're only wasting your energy."

Dan stopped and glared at the object before narrowing his eyes and sending another glare Clockwork's way. "Why in the hell did you decide to let it rest right in the center of your damn room!?"

"I didn't put it there."

There was a silence. "I really hate you."

"So now that we got that out of the way, how was your-"

Dan growled. "Stop treating me like I just got out of school or something just as stupid or asinine."

"I'm just curious."

"You already know how it went."

Clockwork sighed, deciding to drop it in favor of staring at the entrance to his lair. He contemplated briefly on his decision to not put some ghost nip into his tea, seeing as he would have a massive headache soon.

"Oh by the Realms!" A small collection of gasps and panicked murmurings reached both Clockwork and Dan's ears as the three Observants indirectly revealed themselves.

"Are you completely insane, Clockwork!?" Vigilate cried out. His large eye was comically wide and staring at Dan. Dan snarled lowly and merely put his hands on his hips as a show of defiance.

"Last I checked, I'm fairly present mentally and in good health otherwise." Clockwork took another sip of tea. _Really should've put in two leaves of ghost nip._

"For Noital's sake, you're sipping tea while sharing the room with a monster that had no conscious!" Lacrimalis cried out.

"We had thought Walker's reports were simply poor rumors of some kind, but they were actually spot on, like aways," Videre purred. He held a superior look on his face and looked at Dan like he was dirt. The ex-halfa could see it in the creep's single expressive eye.

"Well, there he is, not destroying the Ghost Zone. Please do make sure not to slam the door on your way out," Clockwork responded. Dan glanced over and had to fight the smirk that was trying to come to his face. However, he did have one thing to say.

"Speak for yourself. It's only a matter of time."

"You're sinking through the floor again."

Dan balked and looked down to see that, he was indeed sinking through the floor. "What the-? I just used my wail not long ago!"

Vigilate blinked his single eye and glanced at Clockwork with a contemplative look. Lacrimalis still looked flustered and Videre was giving Clockwork a venomous glare.

Clockwork watched as Dan scrabbled about, looking for something to grab onto so he could lift himself out of the floor. "I could help."

"Piss off!" Dan snapped, finally making it to the Sword of Souls and using the immovable object to heft himself out of the floor.

Vigilate hummed and placed a boney hand to the general area of where his chin would be and rubbed there. He recognized the blade… He looked up at Clockwork and saw the timekeeper nod softly to him. "Well… it seems like Clockwork has things under control."

"Excuse, me?" Lacrimalis asked in surprise and Videre looked at the other two Observant with a calculating gaze.

"He obviously is going to fade away soon. He can't do any harm, not any more. The Dark Phantom has fallen," Vigilate explained.

Dan clenched his fists and flew at the Observants in a blind rage. "You'll regret those words!"

"Time out." Clockwork watched as everything froze and Dan started to slowly rewind back to where he'd launched from. "Time in." Dan stumbled back and crashed into a table behind him. He caught himself on the ledge as Clockwork's trinkets rattled and crashed onto the floor. He stared at Clockwork, feeling a powerful sense of deja vu. Dan knew what that meant.

"How?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

"How damn it!? How!?" Dan cried out. "I had the medallion in me!"

"Yes… you did."

Dan simply stared at the man blankly, completely confused as to what was happening. The Observants seemed a bit confused as well, but didn't ask questions at the moment. Dan looked over at the rack that held the medallions and slowly counted them, only to find that not a single one was missing. He was flabbergasted. It should be impossible.

"I told you that I could handle things, Observants. Please leave."

Vigilate turned and did as asked. Lacrimalis looked at Vigilate and then Clockwork and Dan several times before she followed her brother. Videre snorted and took up the rear.

"Would you like some tea?" Clockwork asked Dan, once the Observants had left.

"Are you serious?" Dan hissed. "Tell me what the hell just happened!?" Dan paused when Clockwork quietly put down his cup. He floated a few steps closer and Dan suddenly felt like the air was getting heavier and his core clenched with an unfamiliar emotion. When Clockwork halted, he banged his staff against the tiled floor and in that moment, Dan suddenly remembered what he was feeling. Fear.

"ENOUGH! I WILL NOT ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS! GO TO YOUR ROOM OR EXIT THE TOWER! EITHER WAY, YOU WILL LEAVE MY PRESENCE, NOW!" Clockwork thundered and the clock tower shook and shuttered.

Dan leapt back, flickering into his gaseous form out of instinct and zipped away. Seconds later, Clockwork heard Dan's door snap shut. He relaxed and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. _Definitely needed a leaf or two of ghost nip._ He glanced at Dan's door and sighed. He had gotten a bit impatient with the destructive ghost and the timeline in general and had let out his anger in an unnecessary way. He hoped he hadn't made a mistake.

zzz

Dan sat in his room on his chair, which Clockwork had restored to it's original form, seeing as this place was Clockwork's lair.

Currently, he was mulling over what had just happened. Though he was still confused about the time medallion thing and surprised by Clockwork's outburst, he was more focused on something more personal. He had felt fear. "I thought I had gotten rid of that emotion when Fenton died." Dan furrowed his brows in frustration. He groaned and let his head rest against the wall as he shape-shifted into his twenty-eight year old human appearance with a flash of white light. He was getting very confused from all the new information and questions he had, and that made him angry. His train of thought was interrupted when a knock sounded against his door.

"Dan?"

Dan felt a brief shiver run through him at hearing Clockwork's voice again after the timekeeper's display of anger, before he hurriedly steeled himself and answered.

"What? I thought you said I could stay in my room for a bit. I need a bit of rest before I go out for another of Walker's poster boys."

"That's not why I'm checking in." Clockwork opened the door slightly and placed a cup on a table near Dan. "I just wanted to say that I am sorry for my outburst. Everyone needs a chance to let off steam, but I did not do it in a respectable way. I ask for your forgiveness, Daniel."

Dan flinched at the use of his old name. His mouth shifted to being slightly parted due to intrigue to being a flat pursed line. He scoffed. "You're asking me for forgiveness?"

"Yes of course."

"Why bother?"

"Because you have just as much of a right to existence as anyone."

"Not many would agree with you on that."

"Perhaps not, but the truth remains."

Dan stared at the old ghost for a moment before he grunted. "Whatever, get out."

Clockwork rose a brow and didn't move and Dan snarled in response. "I said, _whatever_! I want to be alone. Leave!"

Clockwork bowed slightly and then left, quietly shutting the door. Dan grumbled before a couple of familiar scents caught his nose. Dan looked at the cup Clockwork had left and noticed it was warm cocoa with a couple of ghost nip leaves floating on the creamy foam. Red eyes locked onto the brown liquid and seemed to dull with some long lost memory.

Back outside of Dan's room, Clockwork sighed to himself. Dan's answer was about as close to an apology that he could expect, but it was still a good omen of what was to come. He gave a small smile as he floated back towards his viewing portals. "I hope those leaves give him a nice pick me up before his next bounty."

* * *

**So I hope I did okay with all these interactions and I hope everything made sense. Also you learned of some new names when looking at Clockwork's business with Fright Knight and the Observants. Interesting, hm? I wonder who they are?**

* * *

**Answers to Questions:**

**NoSignal to Ariastella: I did some of my own research on the Lares you were talking about. They seem pretty interesting. I'm not sure how I would use the idea, but sometimes I don't know what I'll use until that very moment, so we'll see what I can do. As for the mixing of elements (other than wail) I will try to do that too. I've been brainstorming a little bit about it!**

**Valle95: ****I know this is late but I just started reading your story and I noticed something. The scene where the mostly formless gaseous ghost put the ring on and solidified reminds me of Sauron from Lord of the Rings. He was mostly a spirit and had no solid form which is why he wanted his One Ring back, it would restore his solid form.**

**NoSignal: Ironically I don't know much about Lord of the Rings. I've read the Hobbit and watched two out of three of the Hobbit movies, but never really got into Lord of the Rings. That's cool though!**

**h: I have a question though: What exactly does David look like? I'm not sure if you already mentioned it in a previous chapteror anything, if so, I don't remember. Oh, also, is there going to be more between Jazz and him? I'd love to see that!**

**NoSignal: "The stranger in the group, messed his very tangled brown hair in slight nervousness and held out his hand. 'Hello Miss Fenton. My name's David Hudson. I'll be your lawyer as well as your siblings' lawyer when the time comes.' David had green eyes that were only slightly darker than his sister's and though it was obvious that he'd tried to tame his hair in a typical and neat slightly off-part, it looked like his hair had rebelled harshly or he'd been put through a hurricane simulator. He wore a plain black suit, tie, slacks and dress shoes; he also had a brown book bag that was very worn and she caught sight of a bit of silver chain hidden under his suit collar. He was slightly taller than her and a bit lithe, but charming and Jazz found herself blushing a bit." There you go! I know sometimes it's hard to remember what side characters look like. As for Jazz and David, there is going to be more of them, don't worry!**

**aurorabw2: the school chapter was good with every ones point of view but I'm surprised you didn't write anything about kids switching classes, being taken out of school or just angry phone calls from parents not wanting their kids in the same school with half ghosts. of course the Fentons have a right to attend school and get an education under the law but, it would be a little weird if some parents didn't try to get them kicked out. ****also I haven't heard Dani use latin yet. **

**NoSignal: Yeah, I may try to mention some of those things. I'm trying to balance between giving realistic reactions and over saturating the story with copious details. Thanks for mentioning it though, it helps when you guys remind me of stuff. Sometimes it indirectly reminds me of important things too. As for Dani, she'll speak Latin soon.**

**PurpleNiki: quick question though: have you considered having art done for various scenes of the story? like Dan's appearance change? or some way back when when Danny was pointing out the consolations?**

**NoSignal: Thanks for the kind words and the review. As for your question, I would love fan art to be done for this story. I'd do it myself, but I can't draw very well. If someone ever did do fan art, I'd probably faint v **

**NoSignal to WeirdDudette: Thanks so much for your long and very kind review. I'm so glad you've liked the story so much. I'm happy I was able to make you have a strong reaction to a scene in the story (even if music helped in the case). Thanks for your kindness and support!**

* * *

**Thanks so much for all your kind words and reviews! Until next time,**

**~NoSignal**


	32. Things are Changing

**Hey guys! I'm really sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Thank you all so much for being patient! My life kinda got on the fast track recently with a lot of responsibilities and other things taking my attention away from writing this chapter. I also got a bit tired of writing in general. I'm not stopping the story yet, so do worry. I have the whole thing outlined down to the very last words of the story. My updating schedule just might not be as speedy as it was at one time.**

**If you ever what to get an idea of what story/chapter I'm currently working on and how many words I've written for it, check out my profile. My profile has a list at the top that shows which story I'm working on as well as how many words I've written for the chapter of the current story I'm working on.**

**Okay that's all. Thanks again for your support and patience!**

* * *

zzz- normal separation

ooo- dream or vision separation (could be a past event of some kind)

_Mental thoughts, past speech, or distant speaking unless indicated otherwise_

* * *

_"Did you ever know that you're my hero, and everything I would like to be? It might have appeared to go unnoticed, but I've got it all here in my heart." ~ Bette Midler_

_"Waiting hurts. Forgetting hurts. But not knowing which decision to take can sometimes be the most painful..." ~ __José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love_

zzz

**FentonWorks. 7:45 PM.**

It technically wasn't their first date, Danny reminded himself. He let out a breath of air after repeating his new mantra in his head for the tenth time. He and Sam had gone alone to eat with each other before. The only difference was that this one was more official, planned, and was happening after their most recent talk regarding the future they may or may not have together.

Danny was snapped out of his thoughts when there was a knock on the frame of his door. He glanced up to see his dad standing there. "Hey dad, what's up?"

Jack smiled. "Nothing much, just checking to see how you were doing. I know this is kinda your first official date after a few months of being a couple."

Danny shrugged. "I guess it's just kinda different for people that have been friends. I don't know. It feels that way."

Jack chuckled. "Boy do I know it."

Danny blinked and looked back at his dad. "Oh yeah. I almost forgot that mom was your friend before…"

Jack grinned. "Yep." The large man lumbered closer and then took a look at his son. "It's not as complicated as it may seem and don't try to base your and Sam's relationship off of anyone else and all that."

Danny smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know dad."

Jack became more sober and clasped a hand over his son's shoulder. "Just remember she's your friend, she's your teammate, listen to her, let her know you care about what she thinks and feels."

Danny looked at his father for a moment and smirked. "I think it would be kinda hard to forget all those things about Sam."

Jack gave his son a calm smile right as Maddie walked in. "You almost ready, Danny?"

Danny nodded as his mother walked closer. "Yep. At least I think so."

After saying goodbye to his parents and not so subtly trying to escape his mother's attempt to fuss over him, Danny transformed and flew towards the Mansons'

zzz

**Manson Residence. 8:00 PM.**

Danny landed softly on the ground before walking up to the mansion's door. The half-ghost glanced around quickly to see how populated the area was. Not seeing many people on the streets at this hour, he transformed before letting himself become visible.

Danny then knocked on the door.

"Please state your name and purpose."

"It's me, Hobson, Danny. I'm here to pick up Sam." Danny shuffled his shoe nervously for a moment before Hobson answered.

"Ah yes." Hobson swung open the door and smiled at Danny. "Please do come inside, Master Danny."

Danny blinked in surprise before thanking Hobson and coming inside. He was met with Jeremy Manson almost immediately.

"Hello, Daniel. Nice to see you." Jeremy said calmly, even if Danny could sense the apprehension coming off of him.

"Uh, thanks Mr. Manson."

Jeremy glanced up at the stairs and then looked back at Danny. "Sam should be down shortly. I think she's having a disagreement with Pam."

Danny chuckled slightly. "Ah."

There was a moment of silence before Jeremy cleared his throat. "I hope you understand what kind of trust I'm putting in you, Daniel."

Danny looked up at Jeremy as the man gazed at him evenly.

"Not just you two being a couple and all that entails with that, but even being around you. The danger."

Danny felt his stomach churn, intimately knowing just what Jeremy meant. "I know sir. I know."

Jeremy watched as a deep sadness and worry of some kind enter the young man's blue eyes, but then he also saw a determination hidden underneath. The two remained silent for a moment, before the sound of someone tearing down the stairs caught their attention.

Sam thundered down the steps, dressed semi-casually as Danny was. She rushed over and snatched Danny's arm. "We're going, hurry."

"Sammykins! You come back!"

Sam grinned back at her father and Ida as the older woman motored into the room. "Bye dad, grandma. See ya around eleven."

They then dashed through the front door as Hobson held it open.

zzz

**Nirvana Restaurant. 8:24 PM.**

"So… what are you going to try? Are you sure you don't wanna go somewhere else?" Sam asked and glanced over the top of her menu to look at her boyfriend. Danny was scratching his head while he looked at the options.

They were currently in a new vegetarian and vegan only restaurant that had recently opened up in Amity Park. While it wasn't really popular yet seeing as there wasn't a large population of vegetarians in Amity, it was nice looking and would probably draw in a nice crowd of curious people.

"Yeah I'm sure. It's not as crowed here and you always have to find something on the menu wherever you go with me and Tucker. There have only been three people that have tried to walk up to us too, so that's a bonus." Danny smiled up at her and Sam couldn't help but smile brightly back.

"I'll punch the next reporter that tries to ask you more questions about ghost politics again. I feel like we should put a sign around your neck that says, 'can't talk about it, yet'." Sam smirked as Danny put his hand thoughtfully to his chin.

"The sad thing is that I'm actually considering it."

The two laughed as a waiter came up to them. He nodded politely. "Are you both ready to order or do you need more time?"

Sam expressed that she was ready and Danny nodded slowly as though finalizing his decision. Sam ordered veggie dumplings and a buckwheat noodle dish, realizing just how excited she was to try something more interesting than a salad at Nasty Burger.

"And you, sir?" The young waiter asked. Danny could tell the young man was staring at him, as though waiting for him to do something ghostly or bizarre. It made his skin prickle, but he tried to ignore it entirely.

"I want the Lasagna."

"Do you want the vegetarian variety or the vegan variety?"

Danny chuckled nervously. "I'm going to stick with the veggie variety. Not sure if I'm ready for fake cheese yet."

They handed in their menus as the waiter walked off. Sam smiled at Danny. "Playing it safe?"

Danny shrugged. "Safe as possible. Tofu's just not for this guy."

Sam let out a relaxed sigh. "This is nice."

"Yep. Not only that, but…" Danny grinned and pulled out his wrapped straw. In an instant, he'd blown the torn wrapper into Sam's face with a puff of air. "I can do that and not feel mortified."

Sam gave a particularly unimpressed look, but Danny's smile was contagious. "Very funny, tough guy."

Danny grinned. Time wore on as the two talked and ate. Danny discussed only briefly his worries about Skulker and his desire to look into whatever information Jazz might have about his past life. Sam agreed that it might help like it had for Technus.

Even they finished eating and left the restaurant.

"Where to next? It's only nine thirty," Sam explained and looked at her black and purple watch she had on her wrist.

"A meteor shower is happening around nine forty five and I was thinking we could have a unique view on the roof of the observatory," Danny offered.

Sam nodded excitedly. "Yeah. That's sounds nice."

The two walked into a dark alleyway and only a flash of white light indicated that they had left.

zzz

**Amity Park Observatory. 9:38 PM.**

Soon, the two found themselves on the very top of the Amity Park Observatory building. There were several people below on the balcony area, getting ready to watch the event. No one had noticed the couple appear.

"Wow, this is almost like having VIP seating or something," Sam expressed as the two sat down near the top of the round roof.

Danny nodded and the two sat and waited in silence. Eventually, a bright streak of light shown in the sky, then another, and then finally it seemed as though hundreds of stars were falling.

Danny could hear the sounds of people ooing and awing down below as the event continued. He could feel his whole body tense with anticipation and finally he turned to Sam. "Hey, wanna get an even closer look?"

Sam looked at him blankly for a moment before his meaning struck her. She nodded quickly as Danny transformed, wrapped an arm around her waist, and then shot into the sky with intangibility.

It took them a few minutes to reach the right height, but they did finally find themselves watching the small rocks rocketing past them and sometimes even through them.

"I remember when I was younger, I was sad to find out that people didn't wish on stars, but rocks," Danny spoke suddenly, nostalgia in his words.

Sam shrugged. "Eh, who knows? Maybe the wishes end up in the Ghost Zone. Clockwork told us that ideas, dreams, and thoughts of all kinds empower the Zone."

Danny blinked and gave a content smile at the thought. She had succeeded in warming his heart with that comment. "That's surprisingly un-nihilistic of you."

"Well maybe you taught me that hoping for something isn't as bad as I thought." Sam squeezed Danny around the waist as she finished. Danny smiled and did the same.

"And maybe you taught me that I needed to love myself before I should care about what others think of me. For a long time, I was trying way too hard to please everyone."

As the couple noticed that the meteor shower had started to slow, they quietly descended through the clouds. It was now almost ten fifteen and they needed to start in the direction of Sam's home. They touched down in the park behind a tree as Danny transformed again.

They then walked hand and hand through the park in the direction of Sam's home, taking their time.

"Tonight was fun," Sam expressed.

"Yeah, very fun. Nice to have something like this right before I start learning how to talk to the president about Ghost rights…" Danny agreed and laughed anxiously.

Sam nodded in understanding, though the mention of the president did remind her of something important she had wanted to tell Danny. "I want to make something clear to you before things get even weirder with tabloids and being famous and all that."

"What?"

"I want you to know in your heart, that I love you, not phantom or your powers. A lot of people will probably try to claim that…"

Danny gave her a long stare and Sam looked up at him when she noticed it. "You really mean that?"

Sam paused, somewhat confused by his reaction to her statement. "Well… yeah? Why?"

Danny hummed and glanced upwards at the still twinkling stars. "I guess I kinda thought… that was part of it, at the very least."

Sam looked at her boyfriend seriously for a moment, trying to decipher what he was thinking. "Were you going to say anything or ask me?"

"Not really. I didn't think I'd be able to control it. I was kinda stuck. I mean you were the one girl that knew I was Phantom, who also knew me before I became half-ghost." He sighed. "But if I'd have ever chosen someone else before this mess then I would've had the awkward joy of having to eventually explain everything to them to avoid entrapment. There was bias everywhere. Honestly I've been kinda riding on the honest hope that our friendship was as strong as I thought it was and you were as good of a person as I saw you as. I figured that if you liking one half of me was the only thing I was going to have to deal with then it was something I could handle. I could deal."

The two were silent for a moment, while Sam let the weight of Danny's admission settle in her heart. He'd thought that he would always have to settle, even with his own best friend. He wasn't exactly bitter about it, just understanding and accepting.

Sam narrowed her brows in determination and looked at her boyfriend's face. "Danny."

The young man locked eyes were her, waiting.

"I want you to know that I love Danny Fenton. There's no Phantom for me. Maybe at first, but that ended the day Ember first showed up."

"Huh?" Danny asked in confusion.

"Before that day, I was still dealing with the fear of what I'd done to you. I didn't know how to feel about my friend turning into a ghost and having a different form and everything. Until that day, I had seen you and Phantom as somewhat different people."

"Really?" Danny asked, not particularly upset, but more intrigued than anything.

"Yeah, you can ask Tucker how he came around to dealing with it. We didn't want to worry you until we'd worked through things…" Sam trailed off for a moment. A pause of peaceful silence came before Sam spoke again. "We were flying. You remember? And I happened to look up and see you from below. And I had an epiphany… You were superhero."

Danny smirked. "Wow, what an earth-shattering revelation." Sarcasm was prevalent in his tone and Sam smacked his arm in irritation.

"Hilarious, let me finish."

Danny nodded and squeezed her hand for her to continue.

"I realized that you'd become something I didn't think was possible. I mean, think about it, Danny. How many people would put up with the crap you do? Huh? Not many. We were all lucky enough that you got those powers. Let's face it, someone needed to be around to stop Vlad and everyone else that popped up. Okay so maybe you played some pranks, got frustrated, were a bit selfish once in a while, and went into the girl's locker room a couple times-"

"You know about that?" Danny squeaked slightly, but Sam ignored him.

"But in the big picture, you went above and beyond the call of duty. I felt like you could really have the chance to change peoples' lives."

_It's why I had to make you regain your powers after the Desiree thing… I would've taken the burden from your shoulders, but… I don't trust myself. I don't trust myself like I do you._

Sam tried to ignore the guilt rolling in her stomach at the thought. After tricking Danny into essentially dying again she'd been nearly sick with guilt for days afterwards. It hadn't even hit her what she'd done until a day or so after the fact and that alone had made her question herself.

She glanced up at Danny to see him looking at her in confusion or awe, she couldn't quite tell. "When I looked up at you that day. Fenton and Phantom became one. I saw my best friend behind the white hair and green eyes and I realized above all of that…" She held his gaze for a heartbeat, hoping he'd understand. "That Danny Fenton, my best friend, was an incredible _human_ being."

He looked at her for a moment, frozen. "What about Dark-"

Sam knew what he was going to say before he said it. "Stop. Yes that was absolutely horrible and I can only imagine what that felt like, but I don't blame you for that. All I can say is that everyone has a breaking point, a line that can't be crossed with them. It's different for everyone probably."

They were quiet again. "And yet… the Danny sitting here fought him and managed to win."

Danny felt his own stomach clench with guilt. She probably wouldn't say that if I'd told her the entire story… But instead of saying anything, Danny only smiled the best he could and pulled Sam into a surprise hug.

He wasn't sure he was half the man Sam saw him as, but he could try to be.

zzz

**FentonWorks. 8:00 AM.**

"Sweetie?"

Danielle mumbled incoherently as someone touched her head. "Mmm…"

"Ellie, it's time to get up."

Dani finally recognized the voice and cracked open her eyes. "Mom?"

Maddie smiled down at her daughter. "What are you doing on the couch, dear?"

Dani blinked and continued to stare in confusion, she then wrinkled her face in concentration. "I… don't remember. What day is it?"

"Sunday and we came back at five am from a fight with a giant ghost spider and I tried to get you to your room but you had face-planted and refused to get up." Danny was coming down the steps tiredly. "You even tried to blast me with an ectoblast." The boy swung his arm and pointed at a black mark on the wall near the stairs.

Dani's face heated up and she gave a nervous laugh. "Huh, funny. I don't remember that."

Danny smirked. "Oh and you probably didn't remember this either- Happy Brithday, sis."

Dani watched Maddie smile at Danny's words and she paused in confusion. "Wait. How? Today?"

Danny walked closer. "Yeah, Jazz figured out a while ago a rough idea of when you were cloned. You took several weeks to grow to maturity. This is the day, April sixteenth, that we estimated was when you were let out of the cloning chamber."

Dani blinked again and then glanced around at Maddie and then Danny again. "Really?"

Danny frowned a bit, worried he'd upset her somehow. "I mean, technically we can do whatever you want." He tried a half-smile. "That's pretty fun. Not many kids get to choose their birthday."

Dani shook her head and smiled brightly. "No it's fine. Thank you, Danny!" Dani leaned forward and wrapped her brother in a hug. She then got off of the couch. "I've got to call and thank Jazz later."

"Your friends are all coming for dinner. We can give you your gifts then." Maddie expressed and moved towards the lab doors.

"So what are we going to do today?" Dani asked and glanced at Danny.

Danny hummed. "David is visiting later to talk with me about my meeting with the president. You should probably sit in on that too. First we could do some practice with our powers. I need you to teach me how to sense specific ghosts-"

"Oh! I'll go get Klemper! You could teach him about his ice powers."

Danny watched Dani run towards the lab. "Wait do you want me to go with you?"

Dani rolled her eyes. "It's just Klemper's place. I'll be back before you know it!"

Danny sighed. "Okay, just make sure to take a Fenton phone. I'll call the others and tell them what we're doing. They might like to come before dinner anyways." Danny chuckled when he noticed Dani had already disappeared down the stairs. He walked over towards the TV and turned it on, wanting to listen to the news while he called the others.

He paused in typing out Sam's number, when he heard what the anchorwoman was saying.

_"The FBI and police force of Amity have been unable to find any evidence that Madeline or Jack Fenton abused their children, so no charges have been filed. However, how negligent they were towards their children is still a question of controversy. "My parents still give me guiltily looks." A statement from Danny Fenton/Phantom himself reveals that his parents apparently have a lot to be sorry for. Has the current limelight their family has been thrust into, because of their son's secret being revealed to the world, prevented them from continuing their negligent behavior? Only time will tell." The woman turned towards a guest. "And here we have Mrs. Crockett. She has been involved with many cases of child abuse in the past-"_

Danny numbly looked down and realized he'd crushed the remote in his hand. He gazed sadly at it for the longest time. "It's not their fault." After a moment of silence, Danny sighed and finished dialing Sam's number.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 10:21 AM.**

Dani couldn't stop smiling as she flew in the direction of Klemper's lair. She was excited to really get back into serious training with Team Phantom after everything that had happened recently to disrupt it. Training was something they could do that didn't involve presidents, news stations, or people staring at them and being weird around them all the time.

As she neared the icy isle that was Klemper's home, Dani started to feel a strange sense of dread fill her. Something was wrong. Things were too quiet. She paused and glanced around slowly, noticing that there weren't any ghosts around or nearby. "Huh? Where is everyone?" Even though it was Klemper's isle, that didn't explain why there weren't ghosts passing by on their way to someplace else. Then, she felt a chill go down her back. A ghost was nearby… or was it? There was no blue mist floating out of her mouth.

"KAAAAAAAAAWWWWHHH!"

Dani flinched instinctually and whirled around in circles, trying to get a good look at whatever was stalking her. Her green eyes eventually locked on a terrifying looking bird with a wide black fiery wingspan and red eyes that burned like cinders. She bolted towards the isle, her heart pounding in her chest.

The creature gave another loud cry before pulling in it's wings and diving fast. It was going to catch her if she kept her course. She veered sharply and shot towards one of the areas of the isle that had many caves. Without warning, she purposefully transformed into her human half and let herself fall through the ceiling of the caves. She kept herself from phasing again and took a slight tumble before she landed in a pile of snow inside the tunnel. "Oof!"

She struggled and pushed her head out of the snow, taking in deep breathes of cold air that would've burned in her lungs if she wasn't a half-ghost. Eventually she quieted her breathing and tried to listen for any sign of the creature outside.

"Phantom girl?"

Dani eeped slightly before glancing over and seeing Klemper huddled in a corner. It looked like he'd been there for a little bit. "Klemper? What happened?"

Klemper whined a bit before speaking. "The nice giants from the larger icy place started to visit me more often when they found out Mr. Phantom was my friend. I've even played with some of the younger giants in the snow before. They're so nice." Klemper hummed, trying to get himself back on track. "They warned me about dark things that were haunting the zone. Dangerous things. I was trying to make another snowman with ice, when it appeared and shot down a ball of fire. It was hot and loud, so I ran deep into the caves and hid."

Dani frowned at the story, thinking, but then she looked up. "Great job, Klemper. That thing is really dangerous, trust me. You can't let it even touch you."

Klemper gave a tiny smile but then gulped. "How do we get away?"

Dani finished pulling herself out of the snow and hummed while she rubbed her chin. She thought long and hard before she let out a breath. "Okay, it can't hurt me like it can you. Trust me." She interrupted when she saw Klemper look like he wanted to ask. "I'm going to distract it, then you head towards the Fenton portal, okay?"

"But-"

"It can still be hurt, you just have to be careful to dodge enough," Dani expressed. "It's touching it that's dangerous."

Klemper was silent for a moment before he nodded. "Okay."

Moments later, the two found themselves peering out of the cave system they had been deep inside. They were able to spy the large bird sitting on a icy perch like a statue. "I wonder what it's waiting for?"

As if Murphy himself were listening in, the two perked up when they heard a noise and the bird's head turned towards a massive lizard that had just touched down on the island.

"Fudge." Dani cursed. Obviously the bird couldn't explore the caves easily seeing as it's advantage was in the air, so it had called a friend to help it… or not. The two watched in confusion as the bird spread it's wings and took off into the green haze of the zone.

"Why did the bird leave the lizard here?" Klemper murmured.

"Maybe it has something else it needs to do? I'm not sure. Let's focus on getting away."

"Phantom girl can phase through the isle as a human, can't she?" Klemper asked.

Dani rose a brow and looked at the ghost. "It's Dani, in case you weren't aware, and I wouldn't just leave you here. That wouldn't be cool."

Klemper stared at her and then smiled.

They both flinched when they heard a loud hissing and noticed the lizard had wandered close enough to spot them. A torrent of fire shot from it's mouth and at the two of them. "Klemper, run!"

Klemper shot into the sky and off towards the portal while Dani dodged and shot an icy blast at the lizard's feet to distract it

The lizard glared at her and writhed, trying to break the ice off it's feet so it could be freed. Black fire blazed out of its mouth, down the base of it's skull, and then down it's back and tail. The ice broke and it's eyes burned with senseless hatred.

"Wow, you are a great candidate for anger management. You know, if you weren't a lizard…" Dani sighed. "Great, now I'm making bad jokes like Danny." She dodged another rush of fire which not only seemed to melt the ice it touched, but left bubbling green holes in the isle. The sight of the green goo frothing unnerved her greatly. Maybe Danny could survive an encounter with one of these things, but she might not. She turned sharply, transforming into her ghost form at the same time that she fired off a massive beam of ice.

She grit her teeth and groaned, trying to force out enough ice to really hinder the fiery beast. It was even harder than trying to do the same to a fire core ghost. Eventually she stopped and bolted, not looking back.

After a few minutes, she saw the green swirling portal and sighed in relief. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. She didn't feel that feeling of dread anymore, either. It was after thinking of these things that she slammed into something. "Hey!"

"Dani!"

Dani glanced up and saw Danny was looking at her owlishly. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay? Klemper told us what happened and I was coming to find you."

Dani smiled and put her hands on her hips. "Just fine! I can take care of myself, you know."

Danny exhaled and then smiled back. "I know." He then followed his little sister through the portal where her family and friends were waiting.

zzz

**FentonWorks Lab. 11:09 AM.**

Once Dani and Klemper had told their story to the Fentons, and their friends when they arrived for the training session slash birthday party, they had begun with basic training. This was where Danny and his sister would practice all the things they already knew how to do. Then they moved on to practicing with ice since Dani wanted more training and Klemper had been promised some help back during Christmas.

After a while, Dani moved to helping Danny learn how to know which ghost was coming. Danny practiced with some small ghosts his parents had been carefully studying and had planned to release soon. They were animal like and while some snarled, others just blinked confusedly at anyone who saw them in their containers. Dani's sense trick wasn't a very difficult thing to learn it turned out, and Danny was almost embarrassed that he hadn't figured out the feeling before then.

Tucker, Sam, Valerie, Ash, and Jace all worked with Maddie on target practice and other fighting techniques while Jack talked for a while with Klemper.

Eventually the two half-ghosts started working on new powers. Danny kept switching between trying to use telekinesis to lift small objects and brainstorming on whether or not he could turn into gas and if doing so was as safe as some of the other flexible things his body could handle. If he could, he imagined that controlling his misty body would feel similar to telekinesis, so practicing that more was a must. Dani herself was working on trying to put ecto-energy inside the core of her ice ecto-weapons, however she hadn't yet gotten used to just how much or little to use.

Her sword she'd been trying to form, promptly exploded when she poured in too much ecto-energy. Danny flinched in surprise and dropped the item he was trying to levitate. "No! Stultus, stulti." (No! Stupid, stupid.) Dani expressed with a small growl, letting her eyes light up green in frustration.

"Sed licet is, Dani. Iustum iudicium et error aliquid est." (It is alright, Dani. It just takes a bit of trial and error.) Danny tried to soothe.

"I know…" Dani sighed in english this time. Danny had recently been helping her how to use Latin. Though for some reason, it was a bit harder than it had been for Danny. No one was sure why that was yet.

"Hey I know what will cheer you up," Ash said suddenly as the others came closer to the two halfas.

"What?" Dani asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Opening your gifts, of course." Valerie stated and then gave a smile. Dani blinked in surprise and then laughed nervously.

"Heh, forgot it was my birthday."

Everyone made their way upstairs and soon found themselves surrounding Dani in the Fenton's living room with their gifts in hand.

She got a phone from her parents, Jazz had sent her some books and a scarf, Danny had worked with Jack to build her her own thermos to use, Sam had given her some anime she thought Dani might enjoy, Tucker had made her a CD filled with music she liked and could load onto her new phone, Valerie had gotten her a small charm bracelet, Jace had gotten her a collection of old games that just so happened to have Pacman in it, and Ash gave her a small necklace with a tiny ghost as a pendant. Both young teens blushed at that but didn't speak.

The afternoon went on and Maddie brought out a cake which was surprisingly not ecto-infested and Klemper was told, when he asked, that he could have some even though he hadn't brought a present.

It came closer to the time that David was supposed to arrive and so Danny told his friends goodbye and Dani went to the door to she her friends off. Luckily there weren't any news reporters stalking around so they weren't disturbed. Before Dani could turn around to head back inside, Ash touched her hand so softly that she almost didn't feel it. Dani turned and glanced around, noticing that Jace had already said goodbye and gotten a ways down the road.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Ash was quiet and gave her hand a soft squeeze before speaking. "Would it bore you to go steady with someone like me?"

There was a quiet pause and Dani didn't know how to react to the feelings surging through her. Her stomach felt like something was crawling up the sides, her throat tightened a bit as she looked at him.

"Boring? Why would you say that?" Dani blurted out, without thinking. _Nice one, Fenton. Yell at the poor guy._

Ash blinked and then shrugged. "I mean you're really interesting and not just because you're a ghost, but because you help people and came from such a bad place and fought your way into a place you're happy with. You're really strong and brave to do and say the things you do."

Dani was stunned that someone she'd only known for a few months seemed to think so highly of her. "You really think I did all that?"

"You were told that you would never amount to anything, but then you proved your creator wrong, travelled the world, and kept fighting until you found a good place to be. Your will to live and be happy is really inspiring." Ash chuckled slightly and let go of her hand. "I'm only different from anyone else in a crowd of people because I have white hair. I'm boring if you take that away."

"What!?" Dani yelped out at Ash's conclusion. "But you stood by my side even when you found out I wasn't completely human! You stayed my friends after all of this. You and Jace are so loyal and kind."

Ash's cheeks started to warm and he swallowed, not expecting Dani to have a response like that. Dani reached out a grabbed Ash's hand, which had been limp at his side. She felt of it and tried to get used to the feeling of his hand inside hers.

"I don't know how to do the girlfriend boyfriend thing, but I'd like to try," Dani expressed quietly and then gave Ash a smile.

Ash smiled back. "Awesome." He blushed a bit at the weird answer only for Dani to let out a loud laugh at the generic response and Ash joined her laughter not long after.

zzz

**FentonWorks. 3:43 PM.**

It was a few hours later when David finally arrived at the Fenton household. Maddie told Jack, Danny, and Dani and they all met up in the kitchen to sit around the table, or stand in Maddie and Jack's cases.

"Sorry for being a little late. I almost got here super late because of a delay for my flight. You know how that is," David chuckled and pulled out a few papers from his briefcase.

"It's fine. We didn't have much to do today anyway," Danny answered calmly.

David nodded and then straightened himself before getting down to business. "To be frank, I don't have much to give other than some advice and things we need to think about. After all, I'm just a self-practicing lawyer. I'm not intimately aware of how our relationships with other countries are faring."

"Of course, we know you aren't a miracle worker, David. You've already done so much for us," Maddie expressed and Jack gave a firm nod.

David gave a polite smile. "Thank you for that. I'm glad I've been a help." He turned more towards Danny. "The harsh reality is that we need to give them and the world the idea that the Ghost Zone isn't a realm full of less intelligent beings that will submit to human law entirely, without-" David paused, giving emphasis to the last word spoken, "-making it seem like we're all in danger and need to completely seal away or god forbid destroy the Zone."

"How are we suppose to do that?" Dani asked. She'd been a bit bored at first, until she'd begun to realize just what kind of tightrope they had to tread.

David gave a half-smile. "Well, having the leaders of the Zone you've invited will undoubtedly help. Showing that there is government, but more importantly, some type of order, will be more convincing."

"And me?" Danny asked.

"Your ghostly friends will need to show that they greatly honor you and would find offense if their practical ambassador was not treated well," David explained and then gestured with his hands towards Danny. "We just need to set up the right picture for the president, congress, and the other world leaders and ambassadors present, to see that the ghosts belong to themselves and are sovereign. They also need to be aware that you are an american citizen as Fenton, but maybe you are more like an ambassador legally when you are Phantom." David looked at everyone and smiled. "Short version is, get it across to them that the ghosts are like a collection of united nations in their own right and you are highly respected by them if not culturally part of their peoples in one form or another-YOW!" David stood up sharply and everyone glanced down to see Cujo growling and holding onto the man's ankle.

"Cujo!" Dani yelped and pointed at him. "Bad, let go!"

Cujo looked at her and then relented, allowing David to stumble back.

"Are you okay, David?" Danny asked and walked closer while Maddie hurried off to find a med-kit. "He's just been really protective lately because of all of the reporters. He's confused."

David sat back down slowly as Dani scooped the dog up. "It's fine. I don't think he hurt me too bad. I don't really think he even broke the skin. It was a warning nibble, heh."

Maddie came back moments later and looked over the spot. David had been correct that the bite hadn't broke the skin, but Maddie still swabbed the area and made sure it was clean. "Ecto-contamination is somewhat rare, but it seems to almost react like a infection at times. With enough force or the right vehicle, it can develop into ecto-acne. Call us if anything happens, though it shouldn't."

"I think I'll be just fine. Thanks for your concern though," David replied and stood to collect his papers. He smiled when he saw Cujo whine at him as though to say he was sorry. He glanced at Danny and nodded. "Well we've got the basic idea hashed out. We can discuss some other things like various verbal escape plans if someone tries to talk you into a corner."

Danny felt sweat try to form on his neck and swallowed. The idea of him freezing in front of those important people or not finding a societally acceptable way to explain himself or something was a terrifying thought. "Yeah, good idea."

"Jazz will also be able to help teach us about the important things to tell them regarding how ghosts work psychology wise. Hopefully your ghostly friends will understand why we need to explain to people how obsessions are important and such."

Danny nodded, thinking about how that could work. "We'll have to be careful. I don't want somebody getting the idea to use obsessions against ghosts."

"Of course." David then nodded to the family. "Have a great day and I'll see you next week."

Moments later, the door snapped shut. Jack turned to Maddie. "Since when is he on first name basis with our princess?"

Maddie rose a brow and gave Jack an exasperated look. "Jack…"

"What!?"

zzz

**Central Park Area. 4:01 PM.**

"It's quiet. I'm kinda surprised," Valerie expressed as she kept pace with Tucker. Currently, the park was only a small grouping of people that didn't stray far from the entrance and the food vendors. The two teens had decided to spend some time together after Dani's birthday get together had ended. Tucker smiled.

"The deeper into to park you go, the less people you find, especially after all the joggers have finished their routines in the morning and before the second wave comes after work hours." Valerie rose a brow.

"Should I ask why you know so much about the park and who visits it?" Tucker shrugged as they continued down the path.

"Fighting ghosts has brought us to the park on plenty of occasions. I've just kinda started to memorize when people were present and at what times. It helped if Danny needed to do an impromptu transformation." Valerie seemed a bit surprised.

"You really picked all of that up from visiting the park and just being vaguely observant?"

"Yep, I guess." Valerie smiled when she saw Tucker shrug as though trying to hide the tiniest bit of embarrassment.

"If you don't become a computer wizard at some high-end company, I'll be surprised." Tucker nearly tripped over his own feet at the brief mention. He barely caught himself and chuckled nervously.

"Um about that…" He took a breath and watched as Valerie looked over at him to give him her attention. "I went to talk to your father the other day."

"You did?" Valerie asked and stopped walking, causing Tucker to do the same.

"Yeah, he offered me an internship at Axion once I graduate." Valerie gave a amused smile and nodded.

"Sounds about right. You'll do great there. You'll probably out preform the people working there full-time!" Tucker smiled and then took a breath before continuing.

"I also managed to convince him to help me redesign a new ghost fighting suit for you, with help from the Fentons." A silence passed and Tucker looked over at Valerie, only to see her standing very still. "Valerie?"

"You went and talked to him, for me?" She questioned slowly and looked carefully at her boyfriend's face as though looking for any sign of deceit.

"Um, yeah. Everyone was kinda worried for you and I just decided that I needed to try and fix it. I mean, it's kinda my fault that I couldn't save you and your suit as well. If I had just checked you for nano-bytes before the whole Vlad thing-" Tucker froze when Valerie pulled him into an embrace and pulled him tight to her.

"Thanks, Tucker. I mean it. That was a really nice thing for you to do, especially after my father was so upset before the trial." She leaned back and got a view of a grinning Tucker.

"It _was_ pretty awesome of me, wasn't it?" Tucker probed and Valerie watched as her boyfriend started to metaphorically preen like a peacock right in front of her. The girl rolled her eyes before something else Tucker had said caused her to speak.

"Also, that wasn't your fault, Tucker. Vlad was the one that activated the code. Besides, we were kinda too busy worrying about other aspects of ghosts and our lives to remember to look at my suit for nano-bytes."

Tucker deflated a bit and a somewhat somber look came to his face. "Well I guess so, but I'm going to try my hardest to not let that happen again. I'm no ghost hero but like Danny has said before, that doesn't mean I can't be my own kind of hero."

Valerie felt a large smile come to her face as they continued to walk on the path they had taken. "So, what kind of suit are we talking about here?"

Tucker glanced at her and smirked.

zzz

**Ghost Zone. 8:09 PM.**

He suddenly saw opaque blue in his vision rather than black nothingness for what seemed like the first time in eons. At first he didn't even move and continued to stare at the ice above him, all the intricate reflections of white, blue, and gray were beyond fascinating after seeing nothing for so long.

Then he felt the ache and let out a soft groan that felt and sounded so real he almost lost composure. Suddenly he was freed from the nightmares that had plagued him and he could breathe again. Vlad took in deep calming breaths and finally built up the courage to glance around the room he was in. After he was satisfied with that, he took note that there was no pustules on his arm… or his chest, his legs-

Vlad sat up the bit his tongue, trying to ignore the ache his muscles felt. His skin was clear. The ecto-acne had been at least subdued for now. After a few moments of coming to terms with being free from unconsciousness and finding out that he was also boil-free, Vlad realized that the same question from before had started echoing in his head. _Now what?_

"Ah, I see that you have awakened."

Vlad jerked his head up and snapped his gaze to a couple of white furry beings. One, he knew was named Frostbite from his own research. Frostbite was the one that had spoken. "Yes. It seems I have. I am at a lost to how I came to be here though." Vlad had the temptation to be more bitting with his words and to even throw in a smug remark or two, but honestly, he was more than willing to cut his losses and shut up for the moment.

Frostbite rose a brow as though he had expected Vlad to be rude. He let out a sigh and then took on a semi-stern expression.

"After you went through Clockwork's trial, I was told to monitor you and nurse you back to health. I have done my part." Vlad took in the ice giant's words thoughtfully, outwardly flinching at the memory of the trial. He stared at the wall for a long moment, being drawn into the memories he had of the things he'd witnessed in that gray-scaled world. Frostbite let out a breath of air and his stern expression dropped a bit when he saw how blank Vlad's face was. "You are lost." Vlad didn't stop staring at the wall, but his eyes did seem to grow clearer before he spoke.

"I feel that lost is not the right word. I'm a very educated man, but I can't for the life of me come up with a word that could tell you how I feel." Frostbite nodded carefully.

"Change, even good and healthy change, can be violent and unpleasant." Vlad cut his eyes over and a dark look was cast at the giant.

"Do not stand there and assume I've changed. You don't know me." Frostbite was silent for a moment before he spoke.

"No. I do not. All I know if of a faceless evil, as that is what you have presented yourself to me and my people. So far, we've only heard of you, seen you from a distance as it were…" Frostbite's eyes became contemplative and slightly troubled. "However, I know the Great One. I know his personality. We are fairly close, I would venture and he sees something in you. Most would call it naiveté or idealism from a young being, but I see it differently. If the Great One was willing to try and encourage you to not allow yourself to pass on, then I can only follow his wisdom in good faith."

"Pardon?" Vlad asked quickly and a slight stunned look came to his features.

"Danny Phantom visited you while you were still critical. He pleaded with you not to die in essence," Frostbite replied and a quiet fell between the two for a moment.

"Daniel came…" Vlad spoke out finally, but the words were said without emotion. His face scrunched slightly in thought as if he were perplexed.

"Yes." Frostbite watched Vlad ruminate for a moment before he spoke again. "You must leave this place by the end of the week. I will allow you to regain most of your strength, but you must depart before I head for the human world."

Vlad finally looked up. "Why are you going to the human world?"

Frostbite stared at the halfa for a moment before replying, "Daniel is going to be leading peace talks between the world governments and some major regions of the Infinite Realms soon. He is attempting to rectify the mess you have made." Vlad had to put a bit of effort into not flinching at the ice that came from Frosbite's tone.

"Ah." Vlad paused internally. _You are more refined and intelligent than that. How is 'ah' a proper answer?_

"Aguta will escort you to the places within our realm that you need to know of during your temporary visit," Frostbite explained and gestured to the other ice giant in the room. Vlad glanced at Aguta and nodded. "We will leave you now. Aguta will be outside whenever you are ready." Vlad only nodded again and started to stare at the floor in deep thought. Aguta left and Frostbite went to follow, only to stop. The ice giant took a deep breath. He should probably be quiet, but he decided against silence in the end. "As you said before, you do not know what to feel. I also can't know what you feel either as that is unique to every creature; however, if I were you and didn't know where to start, I would consider trying to begin with showing others you realize your fault in things. I am not saying the fault is all yours. I simply mean that you are not without blame, no one is." After a moment with no response, Frosbite walked out and the door slid shut.

Vlad carefully looked up at where the yeti creature had been and considered his words. Hurt, anger, indecision, and a feeling of injustice still burned in him. How could he do anything different from what he'd always done? To him, everything felt so justified, emotionally…

The elder halfa closed his eyes and let out a frustrated breath. Vlad leaned forward and rested his forehead against his fist. As he thought about Frostbite's words though and some of his previous doubts, he knew that the ice giant was somewhat right. Even if he still felt that same burn in his chest, he now could see that he had not been blameless and not been always justified. He'd fooled himself for a long time. He truly had. If Vlad wanted to truly try something different he needed to trick himself again. He needed to focus on how to make up for his faults and missteps. He could worry about what he still viewed as the faults of others, later.

How could he even start though? He couldn't step out of the Ghost Zone without risking being arrested on the spot.

Vlad's eyes suddenly contracted as a thought came to him.

* * *

**So I hope that my writing is still pretty consistent and I'm not rusty or anything. **

**I also hope that the Danny and Sam date wasn't too gushy or overly-emotional. I tried to make it realistic and honest rather than a romance fest or something. Romance is an aspect of writing that I always have trouble judging when it comes to figuring out how much is too much or too little.**

**Oh and I'd love to hear if any of you can guess what Vlad's idea is. I'm just curious about what you think might be going through his head. I won't answer of course, until the truth is revealed, but it would entertain me to see what you hypothesized.**

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**Answers to Questions:**

**gwencarson126: In truth I cried during the danny/ VLAD scene. What is going on with skulker? Will we see fright knight knight ever again?**

**NoSignal: I'm so glad I could cause such a response from you. Ah Skulker, I'll reveal that with time. I feel my idea is a bit clever, but we'll see what everyone thinks when the time comes. Yes, Fright Knight will appear later.**

**Liza Mondragon: Though I do have one question: where does Malus come into play?**

**NoSignal: Thanks for your kind words! I'm so glad you like the story. As for Malus, he'll come out to play eventually. All will be revealed in time.**

**Sunrise moon 2: So Dan is slowly turning good? Or at least turning into less of a cold hearted, a**hole?**

**NoSignal: I think the best term for it would be... stable. I'll say nothing more for now ;)**

**NoSignal to Guest: Thank you so very much. I'm glad I've done a good job.**

**Salinedreamsxena: Every time the word lose or losing is used, you spell them as loose or loosing. I actually haven't found a single "losing" that wasn't spelled as "loosing". I know it isn't a huge issue, but it actually detracts from the reading experience a bit. I just thought you might want to know. There are a few other word substitutions I have seen but loosing is the most common.**

**NoSignal: I think I already answered you in a PM, but I just wanted to say thanks again for catching that. I type so fast that I miss those kinds of mistakes, though I've noticed I only do it with certain words. Regardless, I'll try and fix those from here on out and I'll go back and try and fix the older mistakes as I go through the editing process with older chapters. I'm glad you're still enjoying the story though!**

**NoSignal to Charlie olken: Thanks so much for your nice words and I'm glad you like longer stories.**

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**NoSignal to All: Thank you one more time for your patience and support. If I missed any questions (or forgot to PM you), just ask or PM again and I'll try to answer in the next chapter or in a PM.**

**Until next time, **

**~NoSignal**


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